


The Far Side

by Legendgrass



Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Ensemble Cast, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fan Lore, Fantasy, Good versus Evil, Hint of romance, Humor, Justice, Major Character Injury, Post-Canon, Science Fiction, Season Finale, Teamwork, Things get real, Third season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2020-06-29 03:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 78,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19821778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legendgrass/pseuds/Legendgrass
Summary: Storm Hawks season three. The Hawks have discovered that the Far Side isn't so unlike home, but it does house its own dark threats. Master Cyclonis is loose, new problems are arising, and the Storm Hawks are being their usual heroic selves.





	1. The Far Side of Atmos

The Condor emerged from the portal into the dark sky of the Far Side, its entire crew minus Stork standing amazed outside the hangar. They stared out at the strange land, a mountainous place flooded with greenish light with a single glowing tower at the center and a black river flowing through the valley below them.

Finn whistled in awe. "Dude..."

A shrill, foreign cry echoed from above, and the Storm Hawks looked up to see what appeared to be a dragon circling above them. Many more of its kind flew here and there over the city. The city—that's what Piper guessed it was, at least. The central tower looming ahead reminded her of the Beacon Tower on Terra Atmosia, and the spread of lights over the spires of rock the dwellings beyond. She glanced at Aerrow, who looked starstruck by it all.

"This is going to be fun," he declared, and gave her a smile. She returned it in agreement, and the team exchanged awestruck looks.

They all stood a moment longer, gazing out over the strange city, until Stork's nervous voice came through the Condor's intercom. "Guys," he said, a warning edge to his words, "you may want to see this."

Immediately Aerrow tore his gaze from the landscape and nodded to the others, and the Storm Hawks rushed inside to the Condor's bridge.

There they found Stork at the helm as usual, bent over the navigational controls and tapping a dial with one slender green finger.

He turned and straightened slightly as they approached. "Navigational controls aren't responding," he told them. "We still have the Timepulse—" he pointed to the glass ball, its rings still turning, "—but something is different here. Can't get a bearing. You know what that means?" He wrung his hands, waiting anxiously for someone to hazard a guess.

Junko raised a finger. "Um, something bad?" he ventured.

"Certain doom!" Stork exploded. "If we get lost here, we'll never find our way back. We'll fly in circles until we die horrible, boring deaths!" He waved his arms wildly for emphasis.

Aerrow shook his head and held up a stilling hand. "Stork, calm down. We're not going to get lost. We'll figure something out. We have the best navigator in the Atmos, remember?" he said, resting a hand on Piper's shoulder. Stork sighed shakily and grunted, unconvinced, but Aerrow continued regardless, "For now, find a safe place to stop. We need to do some serious recon before we go looking for Cyclonis."

Stork nodded, grateful for something to do, and gripped the helm to guide the ship down toward the rocky outcroppings that lined the valley floor.

Aerrow turned to the rest of the team. "Piper, you stay here with Stork. Try and figure out our location, chart some maps, anything that will help us get an idea of what's here. Junko, you and Radarr fix up the Condor, get her back in top shape. Finn, you're with me. We'll take our Skimmers and see what's out there." He jerked a thumb out the window. "Good luck, everyone."

His team gave him a nod, and they split up.

"Be careful," Piper called as Aerrow and Finn headed for the door.

Aerrow grinned. "When are we ever not careful?" he said, and Finn gave Piper a wink.

She sighed in mock annoyance as the door shut behind them, then turned to the maps spread over the table.

...

Radarr and Junko separated and headed to opposite ends of the ship. They started repairs there and worked inwards, patching pipes, hammering out dents in the bulkheads, and screwing in loose bolts. Soon the Condor looked as good as new, and the two Storm Hawks high-fived each other and headed back to the bridge.

...

Stork stayed at the helm until the Condor had anchored under a rocky overhang, then he joined Piper at the center table. She was bent over her maps, cross-referencing, looking out the windows at the land around them, taking notes and drawing lines.

As Stork came to stand next to her she straightened and cried, "This is impossible! There are next to no existing maps of the Far Side, the normal ones of Atmos are no help, and that—" she gestured out the window, "—tells me nothing!" She buried her face in her hands. "What are we supposed to do?"

Stork started to say something, then thought better of it. He wanted to comfort her, or something, but hadn't the first clue as to how. He finally just shrugged. "Accept our imminent demise?" he suggested.

To his surprise, Piper laughed. She shook her head, perched on the edge of the table and crossed her arms. He wasn't sure what had been funny, but flashed a nervous smile anyway.

The door to the bridge slid open with a hiss, and Junko and Radarr entered.

"That was fast," Piper commented a bit incredulously.

Junko shrugged, "This new Condor is a little more sturdy than the original. She didn't take much damage," he explained with a sheepish smile.

Stork nodded proudly.

"How's the navigation...uh, stuff...going?" the Wallop asked.

Piper scowled. "Terrible. I don't have any maps of this place—I don't think there even are any—so I have no idea where we're going or what to expect."

Junko frowned. "You can't just make a map?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "All I can see is that...city place. We'd have to be far above this whole place to map it," she explained.

"Can't Stork take us up there?" Junko asked then.

Everyone looked at Stork, who shrank away, wringing his hands. "I'd really rather not. We don't know what could be up there. Maybe it's dragons. Or Vulcabats. Or giant man-eating hummingbirds!" he cried, eye twitching.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Man-eating hummingbirds," she echoed. "Really?"

Junko snickered behind his hand.

Stork looked indignant. "You never know. This is, after all...the Far Side." His voice dropped to a fearful whisper.

Piper sighed. "Fine. I'll wait till Aerrow gets back, but I'm going to chart a map of this place one way or another." She sat on the table with a huff, and Stork smirked triumphantly.

Junko scratched his head and went to the window. He gasped suddenly and took a step back, waving his arm blindly behind him to catch the others' attention, "Uh, guys? You need to see this."

...

Aerrow and Finn were flying parallel each other, some distance apart, scanning the area below. The Condor was in view far behind them so that they wouldn't get lost, and they were nearing the dark spire of a tower they'd seen when they arrived. It was even grander up close.

The tower loomed over the land around it, a massive pillar of stone that looked as if it had naturally thrust up from the earth. Lit windows lined its circumference all the way up, and at its center a bright, steady light washed its surroundings in a green glow. Stone bridges connected the tower to the smaller structures around it, which looked like miniature models of the tower itself, and the whole arrangement was standing on a tilting table of rock that led from the valley like a spiral staircase.

Aerrow and Finn circled the tower once, looking out over the rest of the landscape. Around the tower were huge claw-shaped outcroppings of stone, with small lit structures built into their sides. Almost as far as the eye could see there was nothing but mountains and waterways. At the horizon on all sides, however, they could see a line of darkness where the mountains stopped. Aerrow sighed in relief.

"So, this is a terra," he called. "This is a city, beyond that is just mountains, and then it's the edge of the terra."

Finn nodded, shouting back, "Yeah, man, looks like it."

Aerrow smiled to himself. This place wasn't so different from their side of the Atmos, it seemed. Well, in the big picture, at least. Then he frowned. He gunned the accelerator on his Skimmer, pulled up next to Finn, and said,

"If this is a terra, this place isn't so different from Atmosia, right?"

Finn nodded, "Yeah."

Aerrow continued, "That means there are any number of other terras we don't know about. Hundreds of places we don't know about, but Cyclonis probably does. She could be anywhere!" he was becoming more anxious by the second.

Finn slapped his forehead with one hand. "Aw, man…" he groaned.

Aerrow set his jaw and pulled his Skimmer up, then set off back toward the Condor. This was not good news.

Finn followed in his wake, moodily thinking of all the time that could've been spent on vacation, now as good as gone. Aerrow suddenly pulled to a halt, and Finn barely missed crashing into his tail. He would've been irritated if he, too, hadn't seen what was before them.

...

Piper and Stork, with Radarr close behind, rushed to Junko's side at the window. Piper's hand went to cover her mouth, and Stork whimpered.

Flooding up from the mountains below was what looked like a dark cloud, except if one looked closely it was full of thousands of pairs of glowing red eyes. Its edges looked ragged due to the flapping of many, many wings—wings that propelled the cloud of hostile beasts as one massive swarm straight toward the Condor. An ear-splitting shriek pierced the air, and the Storm Hawks' hands flew to cover their ears.

The cloud of beasts was nearing rapidly, and as they approached the Storm Hawks could make out a thousand furry, black, Radarr-sized bodies attached to the flapping wings and angry red eyes.

Stork stammered, "V-vulcabats?"

"Somehow these ones look even meaner than the ones back home!" Piper cried.

Junko straightened up and activated his knuckle busters. "They don't look friendly," he agreed grimly as he ran from the room. 

Piper grabbed her staff from the wall and followed. Stork and Radarr exchanged a glance, and then Radarr chirped determinedly and trailed after the others. Stork, left alone, let out a squeak as he stared out the window at the approaching beasts.

...

"Uh...are those Vulcabats?" Finn asked.

Aerrow grunted, "I don't know. Whatever they are, we've got to keep them away from the Condor."

Finn smiled and loaded a bolt into his Skimmer's blaster. "Don't worry. We've got me on our side," he said.

Aerrow's Skimmer shot forward, its rider drawing his blades and activating them. He leaped from his seat onto the wings, daggers glowing blue, and shot a pair of energy blasts into the midst of the bat-cloud. The red-eyed creatures shrieked once more and scattered, a few of them falling from the sky and out of view, and then regrouped angrier than ever.

As Aerrow growled in determination and gripped his blades tighter, Junko and Piper's rides emerged from the Condor, their occupants armed and ready for a fight.

Junko flew straight into the cloud of bats, swinging his glowing fists and shouting, and Piper kept her distance and fired crystal-powered bursts of energy while Radarr perched on her shoulder and shook his fist. Finn fired an arrow that flew into the flock and exploded, and he let out a triumphant whoop as another group of long-fanged bats went down. Aerrow sent his own shots into the cloud, guiding his Skimmer with his feet, threading between bats and swinging his blades with deadly accuracy.

Before long, the remaining bats gave up and scattered under the Storm Hawks' assault, diving down into the safety of the rocky crags below. Aerrow dropped back into his seat, and he and Finn joined the others and they all flew back to the hangar.

Each Storm Hawk parked their Skimmer, and then Aerrow straightened up to address everyone. "We've got some news to share, but I'll wait till we reach the bridge." He looked around at each of them. "Everyone okay? No injuries?"

Junko raised a hand. "Um...I think I chipped a tooth."

Everyone looked horrified, remembering the last time Junko had dental issues.

Then he smiled cheekily. "Just kidding."

Aerrow sighed in relief and rolled his eyes. "Any _actual_ injuries?" When met by silence, he nodded curtly. "Good."

When he turned to lead the way back into the heart of the Condor, the team followed, and they wound their way down the halls toward the bridge. On the way, Piper hurried to catch up with Aerrow. She spoke, "Um, hey, you know the, uh, maps?" She grimaced before continuing in a rush: "There aren't any. Not of this place. And I can't make any either, 'cause Stork wouldn't fly up high enough to chart anything, and I'm really sorry, but we still have nothing and it's my fault. I'm useless here! Come on, a navigator in a place where navigation is impossible? I mean, if I had more time, maybe—"

"Piper," Aerrow cut in with an edge of impatience in his voice, "don't worry about it."

Piper deflated and hugged herself. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "This whole thing is just making me kind of anxious."

Aerrow noticed that the rest of the team had dropped behind some to let them talk. He said to her more gently, beneath their hearing, "I know. It's making us all anxious."

When they reached the bridge, Stork, who'd been at he helm staring out the window, whirled around suddenly with a spray can clutched threateningly in one shaking hand. He dropped his hand when he recognized them and explained, "Vulcabat repellent. Best to always be ready."

Aerrow nodded. "Uh, yeah. Right."

He stepped up to the center table then, the others following suit, and leaned his fists on its surface. "Okay, guys," he began, looking around the circle grimly, "First of all, we have a bit of a problem."

Stork jumped in: "Did you mean the evil fanged bats, or the fact that Master Cyclonis is loose, or maybe that this entire place is actually the back of a giant sleeping Sky Serpent? Or was it something else?" When Aerrow frowned at him, the Merb slumped, "Sorry. This place is getting to me. Continue." He waved one hand, and Aerrow went on.

"As I was saying, we have a problem. This place—" He gestured out the window. "—is a terra. That means there must be others. A lot of others."

"...and Cyclonis could be on any one of them," Piper realized. She raised her hands to cup her face and shook her head. "This is bad. This is very bad," she practically whimpered.

Finn patted her shoulder. "Don't sweat it. At least we've still got me." He pointed to himself, grinning.

Junko ignored him and clarified, "So while we're flying around looking for her, Master Cyclonis could be hatching evil plans and building an army of bat things on some terra we don't even know about?"

Aerrow nodded. "Exactly."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Finn asked the question on everyone's mind. "So...what do we do?"

Aerrow sighed and scratched his head. "Well, first let's go over what we already know," he suggested. "Cyclonis came through the same portal as us, so she was here not long ago. She couldn't have gotten very far."

Piper raised a finger. "Unless she had a Warp Crystal or a really powerful Teleportation Crystal."

Aerrow nodded. "Right."

"Well, since that narrowed things down so very much..." Stork muttered.

Aerrow ignored him and went on, "What else?"

Piper ventured, "Well, knowing Master Cyclonis, I'd say she probably had a pretty solid contingency plan, so she most likely has a small army here somewhere."

Aerrow nodded again. "Probably. What about this place itself? It looks like it has technology better than ours, terras similar to ours—"

"And evil bats," Junko added.

"That too."

Piper chimed in, "People must live here, obviously—" She gestured at the tower. "—and, oh, the Endless Tunnels reach here, too. They may be useful for travel in a pinch."

"But aren't they sealed?" Finn asked.

Piper shrugged and shook her head. "The entrance we know of is sealed on the Atmosian side, but there are countless others. Some may still be usable," she reasoned.

"Ah, yeah...I'd rather stay away from the Tunnels," Aerrow said reluctantly. He hated to shoot down one of their only viable resources, but he was in charge of his squadron's safety, and trying to navigate an underground maze of darkness and danger just seemed too risky to him.

Stork nodded in his defense, eye twitching. "I agree. Too many ways to die horrendous deaths. Sharks, underwater volcanoes, falling rocks, mutant guppies, sky eels..." He rattled off several more, counting on his fingers, until Piper cut him off.

"Anyway!" she said loudly, "We don't have much to go off of, here. I think our best bet would be to land, talk to the natives, and see if anyone's seen a psycho with a spiky hood and too much eyeliner. What do you guys think?"

Finn snickered at that. Even Aerrow flashed a smile as he said,"I think you're right. As usual." Then his face turned businesslike. "Stork, you stay here. Be ready to fly if there's any sign of danger," he directed. "The rest of us will take our Skimmers down to the surface and try to find a lead."

As Stork nodded and gladly returned to his post at the helm, the rest headed for the hangar bay, eager as bloodhounds to catch Cyclonis's scent. 

She wouldn't get away from them this time.

***


	2. Follow Those Cyclonians!

The Storm Hawks, Aerrow in the lead, flew down to the surface and landed at the base of one of the curving mountains. They brought their bikes to a halt amid the brightly lit buildings between the mountain and the dark river. A few people wandered among the stone structures, attending to their daily tasks, dressed in skysuits not unlike the Storm Hawks' uniforms, minus the patchwork quality.

Aerrow climbed off his Skimmer and called to one of them, "Uh, excuse me! Can I ask you a couple questions?"

The girl he'd addressed began to hurry away, looking scared.

"This is important—hey, wait, no, we're not going to—! Gahh," Aerrow groaned.

Piper stepped past him, suggesting, "Maybe I should try.”

A gray-haired man with a mustache was passing by, carrying a container full of river water, and she called to him, "Sir? Um, I'm looking for a friend of mine—"

"Nobody here's got friends," the man interrupted sourly. "Go bother someone else."

He started to walk away, and, irritated, Piper followed him, ignoring Aerrow's cautioning hand on her arm.

She stepped in front of the mustachioed man and said, "We're hunting down a criminal, actually. She’s very dangerous and I think it would be in your best interest to help us find her. She's about this tall, black hair, wears a cape and a hood, carries around a crystal staff—can't miss her. Seen her?"

The man looked suddenly fearful. He glanced around nervously, then turned and ran from her, sloshing half the water out of his bucket in his haste.

Piper turned to give Aerrow a questioning look over her shoulder and saw his face harden. When she turned back, a group of armed Cyclonians had detached themselves from the shadows and begun converging on them. Glaring, Piper stepped back and fell in next to her teammates, who'd drawn their weapons. Her staff was with her heliscooter, so she settled into a fighting stance instead.

"I thought we'd seen the last of these guys," Finn grumbled.

Aerrow sighed. "Me too. I guess this is part of that small army you mentioned, Piper."

The Cyclonians laughed and surrounded them, crystal-tipped staffs raised threateningly. They outnumbered the Storm Hawks, but they were lazy. They had their guard down, relying as always on the crests on their shirts and the staffs in their hands to pick up the slack. Their mistake.

Aerrow gave a nod.

The Storm Hawks leaped into action, each member taking out a pair of guards without much trouble, and then kicked away their staffs. Aerrow crouched in front of the first soldier, a skinny blond man with a goatee, and demanded, "Where's Cyclonis?"

The man laughed. Aerrow held his dagger up to the Cyclonian's neck, and he quieted immediately and sheepishly cleared his throat. Aerrow asked again, slowly this time, "Where is Master Cyclonis?"

Finn stepped up behind him, crossbow leveled threateningly.

The man whimpered, somehow much less cocky than he had been a minute ago. "I don't know," he said quickly, his eyes on Finn’s crossbow bolt. "We're never told her plans, we're just the lackeys that do the dirty work."

Finn laughed, "You've got that right."

The Cyclonian’s grimace turned into a glare. Aerrow didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but he stood and sheathed his daggers anyway. He said to the goateed man gravely: "When you report back to your Master, tell her the Storm Hawks are coming for her. I'm not letting Cyclonis escape this time." He looked behind him at his team. "We're going to bring her to justice once and for all."

One of the Cyclonians cleared his throat and said hesitantly, "Hey, Sky Knight." Aerrow turned. A shaggy-haired young man had spoken, and now straightened up a little under Aerrow’s scrutiny, his head held high. That was unusual for a Talon. Even more unusual was that he kept his voice even under pressure. "Master Cyclonis is not a criminal." When Piper and Aerrow scowled and Junko looked confused, he flinched but went on, "She rightfully inherited the leadership of the Cyclonian Empire. She's kept it running since she was a child. She’s the only reason any of us have homes or jobs—” He gestured to the Talons trembling like weeds around him— “and she thinks she's doing the right thing."

Aerrow had looked furious at first, but now his expression shifted into something less threatening and more pained. There descended a long silence. "Maybe you’re right,” he said at last, grudgingly. But then he raised one finger declaratively and finished, “but she's responsible for the suffering of many, and I don't intend to let her keep doing it.”

The young man bowed his head, apparently having nothing more to say. A few of his comrades shot him disapproving glares, but the Storm Hawks, for their part, were surprised. A Talon who was capable of thinking rationally? Who would've guessed?

“So...what should we do with them?" Junko asked at length, knuckle busters powering down.

Aerrow considered this a moment. He voiced a few options aloud, just to scare the more cowardly of the Cyclonians: "We could throw them off the edge of the terra...or let Stork test his new invention on them...or maybe hang them upside down from the Condor's landing gears and fly a few circles around the tower..."

Finn and Junko began to snicker at the soldiers' horrified expressions.

Piper frowned. "Aerrow, stop it," she scolded. He gave her a teasing glance, and she rolled her eyes even though a smile was threatening to break through.

Aerrow looked back at the Cyclonians. "I guess I'll let you go, as long as you report directly back to your leader. If not...” He smiled darkly, without humor. “...there's always the landing gear option.”

All of the men except the young one who’d spoken gave him earnest nods, glad to be out of danger. The latter just looked despondent. Aerrow crossed his arms and watched as they scurried to their feet and ran to their rides like so many scared rabbits, shaking his head.

"These guys; the elite forces of Cyclonia?" he scoffed.

Finn snickered. "More like elite losers."

Then Piper came up beside Aerrow. "Good plan;" she complimented, "scare them back to Cyclonis so we can follow them straight to her."

Aerrow scratched his head. "Yeah. The problem is, if that guy was telling the truth and they really don't know Cyclonis' location, we'll be heading straight into the arms of whoever's in charge of her forces now, with nothing to show for it."

Piper sighed and stared at the ground for a moment, thinking. "Even if Cyclonis isn't there, there will be someone who knows where she is," she said finally.

"I guess you're right." Aerrow shrugged.

She smiled and replied, "As usual."

Aerrow laughed, but sobered again quickly. "Besides, what other option do we have? We have no navigation. We'd never track her down on our own at this rate."

"I know,” Piper murmured.

Junko’s voice cut into their awareness. "They're leaving!"

At that Storm Hawks ran to their own bikes, gunning the engines and taking flight, wanting to keep the Cyclonians in view.

They returned to the Condor, which Stork had detached from its anchor and positioned for flight. As soon as they entered the hangar Aerrow leaped from his ride and raced to the bridge, where he shouted, “Stork! Follow those Cyconians!" 

The Merb nodded once and jerked the helm with a grunt, the ship responding flawlessly, and fired the engines. The Condor started forward with a lurch and Stork guided it after the Talons at a distance. The rest of the team arrived on the bridge and took up various positions around the room, watching through the window. Radarr leaped up onto Aerrow's shoulder and received a pat on the head in greeting.

Stork said then, "Mind filling me in?"

Aerrow grunted an affirmative. "We asked a guy if he'd seen anyone who looked like Cyclonis—"

"—he ran away, and a gang of Cyclonians ambushed us—" Piper continued.

"—we kicked their butts—" Finn grinned.

"—and we're going to follow them to her." Junko finished.

Stork looked over his shoulder at them, eyebrow raised. "Did you guys rehearse that?" he asked dryly.

Junko shook his head, looking proud of himself, and Stork rolled his eyes and turned back to the window with a sigh.

Piper spoke again, "The problem is, the Talons may not be leading us to Master Cyclonis. They claimed they didn't know where she is, and I really doubt the Talons are capable of lying under pressure, so they're probably telling the truth."

Stork nodded. "Perfect. So we could be flying straight into a trap right now and not even be remotely close to finding Master Cyclonis?"

"You got it," Finn answered brightly, the bad news totally lost on him.

Stork slouched even lower than usual and frowned out the window at the approaching mass of land.

They'd left the green-lit city behind several minutes ago, following the Talons' blood-red contrails across dark open sky, and now another terra could be seen ahead of them, as twisted and tall as Terra Glockenchime back in Atmosia. As the Condor drew closer, its crew lined up along the windows to get a better view of this new land, and the details started coming into view.

The terra seemed to be formed of light-colored stone, and no man-made structures but a white tower graced its surface. The tower stood atop the highest point of stone, a smaller replica of the one in the dark city they'd just left, with its windows unlit but a white light glowing steadily from its center. A trio of the same dragonlike creatures from before circled above it like sentries. Below the tower, cave entrances dotted the cliffsides, flickering red light spilling from only a handful.

Piper broke the silence on the bridge with a cry. "Those caves must be where the Cyclonians are hiding!"

Even as she spoke, the Talons they'd followed folded in their Switchblades' wings and coated into the largest cave, single file.

Aerrow nodded in agreement, gripped the railing and ordered, "Stork, take us down somewhere they won't see us."

Stork nodded and twisted the helm, brought the ship down low, and circled around the back of the tower. He pulled a lever, let down the landing gears and cut the engine, and the Condor settled onto a shelf of white rock high above the terra’s surface level. They were parked completely out of view of anyone in the caves.

Aerrow clapped Stork on the shoulder. "Nice work."

The helmsman shrank away from the contact, but laughed nervously and said, "Thanks."

Aerrow then turned to the rest of the team. "This is going to be a stealth mission. I’ll go alone. The more of us there are, the more attention we’d attract.” He tightened his lips at the look of protest that sprang instantly to Piper’s face and pressed on: “I’ll need to get in, find out where Cyclonis is, and get out as quickly and quietly as possible. I need you guys to stay here, keep hidden, and be ready to fly just in case something happens. Got it?"

Stork and Finn nodded gladly.

Radarr clung to Aerrow's shoulder and chirped, Junko looked a little worried, and Piper opened her mouth in inevitable protest. "You can't go alone! This is too dangerous,” she declared. “You need someone to watch your back."

Aerrow shook his head. "I have to. That way even if I get caught, you guys can keep going."

Junko spoke up timidly, "Uh, Aerrow...she might be right. You have no idea what to expect in there. You should take a partner." He ducked his head when Aerrow turned a frown on him.

But even Finn agreed. "Yeah, man, you should take some backup,” he said. “You never know when you might need to kick some extra tail."

"I don't want to get you guys into trouble," Aerrow insisted.

This earned a humorless laugh from Stork. "Too late."

Piper crossed her arms and gave Aerrow a hard look. The others all stood expectantly.

Finally Aerrow sighed and gave in. "Fine. Piper, you're with me. Let's go."

Piper broke into a smile. Junko and Finn high-fived each other.

Radarr chirped in Aerrow's ear as if to say, "What about me?" Aerrow gave him a pat on the head. "You're staying here too, buddy. Sorry. You attract too much attention." Radarr barked indignantly.

Stork commented, "So does Piper. It's not every day you see a female Cyclonian wandering around. There are, what, two in existence?"

Aerrow shook his head. "That's different."

"It's your horrible doom," Stork allowed with a shrug.

Aerrow sighed and turned to leave.

"Good luck, guys!" Junko called, waving.

Piper led the way out the door, and she and Aerrow headed to the hangar. There Piper stepped onto her heliscooter and sighed, "I hope you know what you're doing, Aerrow."

He climbed onto his bike and gave her a tight smile. "Trust me."

***


	3. Infiltration

Piper and Aerrow rode down the boarding ramp to the ground and accelerated down the sloping cliff, winding around the tower to the surface.

At this level the cave-pocked cliff began, completely smooth and pale save for the cave openings and the ledges that granted access to them. Here Aerrow slowed his bike and looked up the cliff, picking out the caves with light shining from them, and then dismounted.

He looked to Piper. "We'll hide our Skimmers and climb from here," he said, and she nodded.

They walked their rides deep into one of the ground-level caves before them and left them there, hidden by darkness and stone, then returned to the cliff face.

"Um...Aerrow? How are we going to climb that? It's perfectly smooth," Piper asked, pointing.

Aerrow only grunted and drew his daggers.

"Oh.”

Aerrow activated his blades, leaped up against the cliff wall and buried them in the rock. From there he made his way slowly up, climbing using his blades as picks, leaving divots in the rock for Piper's hand- and foot-holds.

This went on, the same process over and over, for quite some time. Aerrow was growing tired fast, pulling himself up again and again through sheer force of will. He wondered desperately when they'd reach the first ledge. Piper wasn't doing much better. Her fingers were tired and sore from gripping shallow grooves in the rock, and her arms were burning from the exertion.

Then, finally, Aerrow reached the first ledge and climbed over, offering his hand to help her up the final few steps. She accepted it gratefully and hauled herself over the edge.

After a moment to rest and catch their breaths, the two Storm Hawks stood and looked up the cliff again. The lit caves were two more tiers above them, an impossibly long distance, it seemed. Aerrow was preparing to start climbing again, reactivating his daggers, when Piper said,

"Hey, wait. Do you think these caves connect? We could go in one of these and find our way up to those." She pointed to each cave respectively.

Aerrow stepped back, blades powering down again. "Good idea," he said. "Let's find out."

Piper took an Illumination Stone from the bag at her hip and held it up as a lantern as she followed him into the closest cave. Inside, they walked shoulder to shoulder through the white-walled tunnel, keeping alert in case of any Cyclonian activity. They walked until the crystal was the only source of light, and then the floor began to slope steeply upward.

Piper missed the step up and tripped, nearly dropping the stone. Aerrow caught her arm and whispered, "Careful." She found her footing again, nodded, and they continued on.

The floor continued to slant upwards until the cave hit a dead end, a solid wall with no sign of a door, or crack, or anything. Piper sighed in despair. Aerrow began to search along the wall for a hidden mechanism, found none, and straightened with a sigh.

"I can't believe it," he said. "All that way, and it's a dead end."

They stood there for a moment, until Aerrow said, "Hey, wait. Feel that?"

Piper was still for another moment, then shook her head. Aerrow pointed upwards. "There's a draft in here. There's air blowing in from somewhere other than the exit."

Piper nodded, now noticing the slight breeze as well. They looked around, felt along the walls, and then Aerrow whispered, "Found it."

Piper held the Illumination Stone up to where he was indicating. High up next to the ceiling, opposite the dead-end wall, was an opening about a foot and a half's width on all sides. Just big enough to crawl through one at a time, if they squeezed.

She sighed with relief, and Aerrow said, "You've got the light. You go first, I'll be right behind you." He laced his fingers together and offered her a foothold.

She hesitated. 'I'll be right behind you,' was usually a red flag—the kind of thing someone said right before they left their comrade to fend for themselves. But that was crazy. She could always trust Aerrow.

She stepped up, hand on his shoulder for balance, and Aerrow boosted her up to climb into the opening. Once she'd entered, there was no going back. She crawled forward some to give him space, her shoulders pressing against the walls on either side, then whispered back toward the opening, "Can you reach?"

She heard Aerrow reply, "Yeah. Just a second."

There was a silence then.

It stretched on for a moment.

And then another.

And another.

And another.

"Aerrow?" she whispered.

Piper felt panic rise in her chest suddenly. What if he really had left her alone? Maybe Aerrow was running from the cave right now, laughing at her naivety, on his way back to the Condor to let her fall into enemy hands or rot in these dark caves.

"Aerrow!"

Piper was starting to have trouble breathing. She struggled against the stone on all sides, trying to crawl back down the shaft toward the opening, but she only wedged herself more tightly into the space. She calmed her heaving breaths, reminding herself that Aerrow wouldn't leave her.

Right?

Unconsciously she let out a whimper.

She was trapped in here forever!

Alone!

She braced her hands against the walls, fighting against the wave of dizziness that assaulted her. The small space she was crouched in seemed suddenly much smaller and darker. Piper's breathing quickened painfully.

"Aerrow..." she tried again, managing only a whisper.

Then she heard a shuffling behind her, a grunt of effort, and Aerrow joined her in the shaft. She heaved a shaky sigh that turned into a sob, and relief flooded through her.

She wasn't alone. Aerrow hadn't left her.

"I'm here. Are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his words. He could tell she was quite unsettled.

Piper took a deep breath to calm her sudden wave of irrational emotion and nodded. "Yeah," she breathed, and began crawling forward.

Aerrow gave her some space to get started and then followed without a word. She could tell he was still worried, and she didn't say anything to convince him otherwise.

They crawled on, the floor beneath them sloping up gently until the shaft widened and opened into a cave, larger and darker than the one they'd entered through. Piper crawled from the shaft and stood, her knees protesting under the unfamiliar weight, and waited for Aerrow to join her.

He did, and they looked around the cave. It was more of a cavern, really, a little bigger than the hangar bay on the Condor, with several tunnels branching from it in different directions. Actual tunnels, tall enough to comfortably stand in.

Red light spilled from the two openings to their right. The two Storm Hawks exchanged a glance, Aerrow held a finger to his lips, and they crept into one of them.

Aerrow drew his daggers, and they stayed against one wall as they moved forward. As Piper and Aerrow crept closer to the source of the red light, several overlapping male voices echoed through the tunnel. Their words were unintelligible, but the voices grew in volume the closer the Storm Hawks came, and Piper could pick out one familiar voice among the others.

She froze, and Aerrow turned to her, questioning. A second passed, and then he heard it too. His eyebrows rose in disbelief.

Neither of them had ever expected to hear that haughty voice again.

Aerrow and Piper crept closer, finally reaching the other end of the tunnel, and stopped just outside the occupied cave. Aerrow risked a peek into the cave, and he gasped.

The tunnel opened into empty air, far above the ground in a grand cavern that could've held the Condor with room to spare. Weakly glowing red crystals lined the walls like flames, and on the ground Talons wheeled carts of them to and fro across the cavern. The main source of the red light was an enormous crystal resembling a huge ruby artichoke, layered with sharp-edged crystal, and gathered around it was a host of Cyclonian Talons flailing at it with pickaxes in a futile attempt to break it.

Aerrow beckoned to Piper, and she joined him at the tunnel exit. She gasped when she laid eyes on the stone, and scowled at the Cyclonians and their savagery. No crystal with this much power should be treated so carelessly, for a multitude of reasons both ethical and practical, and to see Cyclonians of all people doing such things stirred a deep anger in her. She did realize one thing, however.

"Cyclonis isn't here. If she were, nobody would be going near that thing, much less assaulting it like that," she said flatly to Aerrow.

He nodded and pointed down into the cavern. "Looks like he's the one in charge here."

Piper followed the line of his finger to the man standing on a ledge farther down the cavern wall, hands clasped behind his back importantly, the owner of the voice they'd recognized moments before. Piper's scowl deepened.

"Domiwick," she growled.

The self-absorbed blond had made it through the Endless Tunnels, apparently. Piper would have done just fine never seeing the handsome face of her former idol again. He'd betrayed her trust on more counts than one, and she hadn't forgiven him.

Aerrow nodded. "I guess he's taking orders from Cyclonis now," he observed.

Piper grunted. "Let's just scare her location out of him and get away from here. Without a leader they won't be able to cause much more damage.” She indicated the huge mistreated artichoke crystal.

"We need to find a way down there,” Aerrow agreed, “but if the Talons see us we'll be overpowered, so we'll need to find a back way.

Piper clenched her fists, her eyes boring down into the back of Domiwick’s head. "Can't I just jump down there and knock him around some?” she grumbled. “He deserves it."

Aerrow faced her. "You mean 'we'. And that isn't an option, even if he does deserve it."

"But it's quicker," Piper protested, "and there isn't a chance of getting lost in here if we go directly."

Aerrow shook his head. "Piper, I know you've got a bone to pick with the guy, but we shouldn't risk being discovered."

She looked as if she wanted to argue some more, but sighed and nodded. "Okay. Lead the way.”

Aerrow started back down the tunnel toward the cavern they'd come from. Once there, the two Storm Hawks turned down the second lit tunnel, following its downward slope until it opened into the crystal cavern.

Instead of just ending, a ledge protruded from the opening, and on this ledge stood I.J. Domiwick, his back to them. Piper started to step forward, but Aerrow caught her arm firmly and held her back. He shook his head at her and stepped forward instead, creeping up silently behind Domiwick, one dagger drawn, one hand free.

He planned to grab the man and drag him into the tunnel before anyone noticed, then threaten out of him the information they needed, but before he could act Domiwick chose that moment to turn around and spot Aerrow standing guiltily behind him.

***


	4. Escape

Aerrow smiled sheepishly. "Uh...heh heh. Hi."

Domiwick snarled, "You! I never thought I'd have to deal with you again!"

Aerrow drew his second dagger and activated them both as Piper stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry to disappoint you," he said sarcastically, and dropped into a fighting stance.

Domiwick clenched his big fists. "Why are you here? Trying to ruin another one of Master Cyclonis' plans?" he demanded.

Piper came to stand beside Aerrow, her arms crossed. "So she's your master now? I never thought I'd hear the great I.J. Domiwick admit to being less than somebody else," she taunted.

Aerrow gave her a sly smile of encouragement that Domiwick missed completely.

"I am nobody's inferior!" the blond man roared. "How dare you mock one of such high esteem as myself!"

"High esteem," Aerrow joined in, "or high self-esteem?"

Domiwick snarled with rage and lunged for the Storm Hawks, who stepped to either side and watched him fall on his face. I.J. rose, pointed and shouted, "I will not allow you to taunt me so! I am not so weak as to fall to your petty insults!"

Aerrow and Piper exchanged a glance and burst out laughing. "Sorry, Domiwick," said Aerrow, "but it looks like you already have."

The man charged him again and swung a fist that Aerrow dodged with a mile to spare. "You children will not foil Cyclonis again. She has already set a new plan in motion, and you will be defeated long before you get the chance to stop her," he told them.

The Storm Hawks shared a glance. Piper said, "You're wrong. We're going to bring her to justice once and for all. With or without your cooperation."

Aerrow gave her a wondering look. She'd used almost his exact words from before. Piper glanced at him with a warmth in her gaze, then looked back to Domiwick with a cold stare.

He sneered, "My cooperation? And what is that supposed to mean?"

Aerrow raised his blades. "Tell us where she is. Now."

Domiwick laughed, raised his hands and shrugged. Then, "You stupid boy," he said sharply, earning a murderous glare from Piper that Aerrow didn't notice. "I don't know. And, even if I did, I'd have no reason to tell you." He gave them a greasy smile and nodded to someone behind them.

Aerrow whirled. He just had time to see a smirking green-moustached face before he was struck in the head with a metal staff and crumpled, vision going dark.

...

Back on the Condor, chaos reigned.

Junko had just discovered that the only food left on the ship was Stork's emergency supply of Merb cabbage, and he'd flown into a fit of hysteria. Finn was trying to calm him down and was—repeatedly—receiving bundles of flying cabbage to the face in return. Radarr clung desperately to Junko's ears, attempting to guide him away from anything important in case the Wallop began smashing things. Stork had donned a pair of earplugs and sat on the bridge unaffected, reading his book of 'Untreatable Afflictions of the Atmos'.

"Dude, there's other food here! There's food you've never even heard of! It's the Far Side, man, just wait till Aerrow and Piper get back and we'll find a burger joint or something," Finn was shouting.

Junko hurled another head of cabbage, not listening. "Nothing but cabbage! Cabbage! Why cabbage? Why not fried chicken?" he cried.

At this Radarr chirped angrily and yanked on Junko's ears, sending him to his butt on the floor. Chickens were very dear to Radarr. They were most certainly not meant to be eaten as emergency rations.

"Ouch!" Junko exclaimed, pulling Radarr from his head, "Why'd you do that?"

Radarr barked and gestured with his arms, earning a blank stare in return.

Finn hurried over, while Junko seemed to have snapped out of his hunger fit, and said, "Chickens, man. You remember the chickens. Anyway, look, we'll stop and get some food as soon as the others get back, okay?"

Junko looked up and said, "Oh, uh...Yeah. Okay. Sorry about that, guys. You know how much I hate Stork's cabbage."

Finn pulled him to his feet. "Yeah. Sure."

Radarr jumped up to Finn's shoulder and the three of them stepped onto the bridge. Without taking his eyes from his book, Stork removed his earplugs and said, "Done destroying my ship in the name of cabbage?"

Junko chuckled nervously and scratched his head. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, Stork. I kind of, uh, hurled all your cabbage at Finn's head. We're out."

"Yeah, man, oh well, I guess." Finn shrugged lamely, not-so-secretly glad that all the cabbage was gone.

Stork looked up from his book with an evil smile, eye twitching. "It's a good thing I packed three extra crates in my quarters, then," he said.

Junko and Finn exchanged a dreading glance. "Aw, man..."

...

Aerrow could hear someone calling his name as if from far away. He struggled to free himself from the thick fog of his mind, sat up suddenly and reached for his blades.

His fingers closed on nothing—his daggers were gone—and he felt a hand on his chest. "Aerrow!" Piper cried. "Calm down, you're okay. It's me."

Aerrow looked around, recognizing nothing of his surroundings but the navigator kneeling next to him. "Piper. Where are we?" he asked breathlessly.

She shrugged, "I'm pretty sure we're in that tower at the top of the cliff, but...I'm not sure."

Aerrow groaned. "This is all my fault," he said, and looked up at Piper helplessly. "We're stuck here, the others have no idea where we are, Cyclonis knows we're looking for her, and we still don't have a clue as to where she is. If I hadn't—Gah!" He clutched his head as a bolt of pain assaulted him. There was a throbbing knot where the Talon had hit him.

Piper laid a supportive hand on his shoulder, keeping him upright, and waited for him to recover. "Aerrow, it's not your fault."

"But—" he tried to cut in, but Piper shook her head.

"We'll get out of here, and warn everyone, and stop Cyclonis. I promise,” she said soothingly.

Aerrow looked her in the eyes. "Thanks, Piper, but don't make promises you can't keep."

She was silent, but her brows drew together with worry.

After a moment Aerrow broke eye contact and pushed himself up to his feet with her help, his head pounding. Maybe it was just the head wound talking, but he suddenly felt compelled to say to no one in particular, "You know, I've beaten those guys so much they're getting kind of endearing.”

Piper smiled. She knew the feeling, as strange as it seemed.

Aerrow looked around the cell, for that's what it was—a circular, white-stone prison cell, lit by a cluster of pale crystals in the ceiling, with four round windows too high up to see out of and a single locked wooden door. He figured Piper was right, and they were in one of the white tower's upper rooms, judging by the shape.

He looked up at one of the the windows, the only one without a glass pane, and wondered if it was large enough to escape through. He walked over to it was tried to reach it, but even with his arm stretched to its extent he couldn't touch the bottom edge.

"Piper, come here," he said. Then Aerrow pointed to the window. "If I help you up there, you think you could climb out?"

She eyed the opening, then shifted her gaze to him. "It isn't glass?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It's broken. It's worth a shot. As long as you've got a Levitation Crystal or something. It's a long way down."

Piper looked to the window again and nodded. "Okay," she decided, a determined light flaring in her eyes, "let's do this."

Aerrow gave a nod and positioned himself under the window, lacing his hands together once again. Piper pushed away the image of before, her panic when she thought he'd abandoned her, and started to step up. Then she stopped and looked at him.

"What about you?" she inquired. "I'm not going to leave you here alone."

Aerrow shrugged. "If you escape, you and the others can come back for me later."

Piper still looked uncertain, but he held her gaze with a half-smile until she sighed, "Alright." She stepped up into his joined hands and reached to take hold of the windowsill above her as he lifted from below.

When her head cleared the sill she looked out the window, over the terra beyond, and drew in a wondering gasp. They were undoubtedly in one of the tower's highest rooms, as she could see far out over the cliffs beneath them and, at the very edge of her line of sight, the Condor with its running lights blinking against the velvety dark sky.

She could imagine seeing the rest of her team at the windows, waiting for them to return. Or maybe it wasn't just her imagination, and she really could see them there. Either way, she needed to get out of the tower.

Below her, Aerrow grunted, "Uh, Piper? Are you just going to stand there? You're not as light as you look."

She looked down, blushing red. "Oh. Sorry."

She reached up, grabbed the far side of the windowsill, and pulled herself up, shoulders barely fitting through the small gap. She made it halfway before she had to stop and readjust her grip, then pulled herself farther through.

Her head and shoulders cleared the far side then and she was met by a blast of wind in the face. Piper freed one arm and pushed against the tower's outer side with it, trying to wedge her hips through the opening.

She tried for only a moment before she realized she was stuck.

Jammed halfway through the wall in the side of the tower, legs inside, shoulders outside, she was stuck.

"Oh, dear," she sighed.

She heard Aerrow's muffled voice come from inside, "Piper? Are you okay?"

Over the rushing of the wind, Piper called back, "Yes, but I'm...uh, stuck."

Aerrow was silent for a moment. Then she heard him, barely audible, say, "Me and my stupid plans."

She wanted to say something encouraging, but she doubted it would do much good in her current situation. Instead she shouted to him, "Try and push me through!"

She pulled her other arm out through the window and braced it against the outer wall at the same time she felt Aerrow grip her feet. "Ready?" he called.

She took a deep breath, then braced herself and shouted, "Now!"

Both Storm Hawks pushed, and Piper cleared the window. But she overbalanced on the far side, lost her grip on the wall, and fell, plummeting from the hole with a terrified shriek.

"No! Piper!" Aerrow cried.

She gasped and thrust her hand into her crystal bag, searching by feel for her Levitation Crystal. A panicked moment passed, the ground nearing rapidly and the wind tearing past, and then her fingers closed around the crystal and activated it.

Her descent slowed and then stopped altogether, and Piper breathed a sigh of relief. She willed herself higher, back up to the window, where she called, "Aerrow?"

Immediately his voice came through, sounding relieved, "Piper! You're okay?"

"Yeah," she answered breathlessly, breaking into a smile that he couldn't see. It was good to hear his voice. She'd feared she might not have found her crystal in time, and everything she wanted to say to him would have gone forever unsaid.

"I'm coming to get you out," she decided.

He started to protest, shouting, "Piper, you have to warn the others first! They're more important! Hey! Listen! Are you even there?" Then he sighed, continued to himself, "Gah, why don't you ever listen? One day that's going to get you in serious trouble, and I'll never forgive myself."

Piper heard every word and stayed quiet, feeling touched and a little guilty.

She flew back away from the window and circled the tower once, scanning its sides for a window near the top, large enough to fly through. She found one quickly, took a deep breath, and shot toward it.

She braced herself a second before she hit the glass and crashed through, picking up a few cuts that she ignored. Piper hit the floor inside the tower and rolled until she hit the far wall, startling a lone Cyclonian guard as he walked by.

"You! You're supposed to be—!"

Piper struck him across the face with a quick punch before he could finish, sending him to the floor out cold, and whispered, "Sorry!"

She stepped over the man's still form and dashed up the flight of spiral stairs leading up through the center of the ceiling. She figured there was only a small number of guards here, probably only a handful to keep an eye on her and Aerrow (and what a great job they were doing). From the outside, the tower looked otherwise deserted.

She climbed the stairs until she reached the top level, which was only about thirty feet in circumference, and a familiar wooden door. Another guard stood by it.

He shouted, "Wha—How did you get out here?" and leveled his crystal-tipped staff at her.

The crystal flared red, and Piper cartwheeled to the side as a beam of energy shot by her. She leaped at him, launched an aerial kick into his jaw, and landed lightly as he thumped to the ground with a groan.

Aerrow's voice came from behind the door, "Piper?"

She hurried over and laid a hand against it. "It's me. Hold on, Aerrow, I need to find the key," she said. Piper turned, knelt by the guard she'd just downed, and checked his belt for the key to the door.

She found it without trouble, a coin-sized metal disk with a red crystal protruding from it, and slotted it into the hole in the handle. It turned, and she pushed open the heavy door.

Aerrow stood just inside, and she stepped forward and hugged him tightly before he could say anything.

"I'm sorry," she said in his ear.

"For what?" he asked as she pulled back.

"Disobeying orders. Again. I just couldn't leave you locked up here alone in some Cyclonian prison cell.” She paused and chewed her lip, wondering how much was too much. “I don't mean to worry you all the time,” she decided to add.

Aerrow blinked. "Don't worry about it. Just don't make a habit of it, either.” He smiled briefly, crookedly. Then the moment passed. “Now let's get out of here before the guards wake up."

Piper nodded, and the Storm Hawks dashed from the room. Piper led the way down the stairs to the window she'd crashed through, and there Aerrow suddenly caught her around the waist, activated his glider and leaped into the air.

Piper gasped as they dropped suddenly, then laughed when they caught an updraft and spiraled up into open air. The sensation of flying without a Skimmer or a ship was so new and exhilarating, she almost didn't notice Aerrow's arms around her waist and his body pressed against hers. Almost. She grinned and closed her eyes against the blast of the wind.

Aerrow smiled down at her and guided them toward the waiting Condor.

...

Stork closed his book of untreatable afflictions and stood, returning to his usual place at the helm to stare out the window. Finn, Junko and Radarr were lounging, bored, on various seats around the room, and Stork was growing ever more anxious as Aerrow and Piper still failed to return.

He'd been checking the windows every few minutes for signs of their friends, and nothing had happened yet. Junko had begun snoring somewhere during that time, and Finn took to playing catch with Radarr using a stray cabbage.

Now Stork leaned his sharp elbows against the helm and sighed, staring out over the terra.

He stayed this way for some time before a flicker of movement outside caught his eye.

He leaned over the controls to get a better view and squinted to make out the distinct shapes of two Talon Switchblades. Each appeared to have two riders, one Talon and one...Storm Hawk.

Stork gasped as he realized the situation, rushed to the window and pressed his four-fingered hands against the glass. "Oh no," he said, voice shaking.

The Talons were coming closer, flying toward the white tower, and he could clearly make out the shapes of his friends, slumped across the enemy Skyrides. Somehow they'd been discovered, and now they were being taken to the tower to be imprisoned!

Stork wrung his hands. "Oh, not good. Really not good. Guys, we have a problem."

Finn sat up, and he and Radarr joined Stork at the window.

"What?" Finn asked, and Stork pointed with one trembling finger. Finn looked up, spotted the Talons, and then noticed Aerrow and Piper. "Uh oh," he said, eyes going wide. Radarr let out a squeak.

"Aw, man, what do we do? Go after them?" Finn asked, looking at Stork for an answer.

The Merb shook his head. "They'll find a way out. I'm not risking the Condor to go up there."

Finn looked annoyed, gesturing as he cried, "We can't just sit here and watch while they're getting locked up! We have to do something."

Junko had awoken and came and joined them, stretching and yawning. "What's happening?" he asked.

Finn pointed out the window, "The Cyclonians have got Aerrow and Piper, and Stork doesn't want to go after them."

Junko looked at Stork askance. "But we have to!"

Stork sighed, narrowed his eyes at them. "Fine. But," he raised a finger, "first I'm going to give them half an hour to get out on their own. The Condor is only a last resort."

Finn and Junko nodded in agreement, at least partially satisfied.

Stork went back to his seat and continued reading, shoulders hunched, a sour look on his long face. They all sat down to wait.

Junko fell asleep again, and this time Finn joined him. Radarr stayed perched on the helm, keeping a sharp eye out for signs of his friend. Stork kept his nose in his book.

Time passed slowly. Each minute Radarr's worry grew, and Stork was periodically casting hopeful glances out the window. They waited.

And then, Radarr spotted a flicker of color and movement from one of the highest tower windows. He chirped and gestured wildly to Stork, who hurried over and looked up to where Radarr was pointing.

Stork rifled through a drawer in the control board and came up with a spyglass. He held it up to one eye and trained it on the round tower window.

"Um...it's Piper. Looks like she's trying to jump to her doom. I don't blame her. I suppose a quick death is better than a life spent in...Cyclonian prison." His eye twitched.

Radarr rolled his eyes, snatched the spyglass from Stork and peered through.

It was indeed Piper, and she was indeed trying to climb through the tiny window, but Radarr seriously doubted she was jumping to her doom.

He kept the telescope trained on the window, saw Piper brace her hands against the tower wall, and then he shrieked with alarm as she lost her balance and fell.

In a flash Stork was at the window next to him, watching with wide eyes as their friend plummeted from the top of the tower. "Gah!" the Merb exclaimed, his hands going to his face in horror.

Then Piper stopped in midair, drawing a dark red crystal from her bag, and they both heaved relieved sighs.

"Levitation Crystal," Stork explained. "That was close."

Radarr chirped in agreement. They both watched as Piper flew back up to the window, shouted through, and after a second she rounded the far side of the tower and disappeared from view.

Stork and Radarr stayed at the window, waiting for her to return. Neither of them moved for several minutes. Stork's eye began to twitch again. Radarr started to worry.

Then, suddenly, both Aerrow and Piper came swooping around the tower again, Aerrow's battle glider activated, his arms around her waist. Radarr leaped from the helm in triumph, and Stork smiled and laughed nervously. "That could've been worse," he admitted.

***


	5. Teamwork

Stork opened the hatch in the bridge roof to let in his teammates. Aerrow and Piper dropped through the opening to land lightly on the ejector pad, and Aerrow's glider wings retracted with a metallic click.

Junko and Finn snapped awake at the noise and the sudden draft, and Radarr leaped happily up to Aerrow's shoulder with a chirp.

"Good to see you too, buddy." Aerrow smiled and patted his copilot on the head.

Junko hurried over and hugged them all except Radarr, who escaped just in time. "Guys! You're okay!" he cried.

Piper gave a strained laugh. "Yep."

Junko backed away, and Finn spoke up, "Dudes, we thought you were in serious trouble."

Aerrow shrugged. "We, um, kind of were," he admitted, scratching his neck uncomfortably.

Stork stayed by the helm, wringing his hands. "Good to see you haven't met horrible and untimely deaths," he said. Everyone gave him hard looks, and he chuckled, "yet."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you too, Stork."

"Ah, anyway," Aerrow began, changing the subject, "We didn't get Cyclonis' location, but we do know she's got a new plan, and it involves a very powerful crystal. We found a Cyclonian mining operation going on, led by none other than our friend Domiwick. He claimed he doesn't know where Master Cyclonis is. He also said we'd be defeated before we could stop her, but I'm not about to let that happen."

Finn raised a hand to interject, "Uh, isn't that just the usual evil-villain high-and-mighty speech? You know, 'You'll never catch me! I'm unstoppable! I'm gonna defeat you with my mad evil skills!' and all that."

Aerrow sighed. "Yeah," he said, "but it's all we've got."

Stork spoke up, "Um...so, pretty much, we know Master Cyclonis has an evil plan involving crystals. How is that new?"

Aerrow sighed, frustrated. "Well, it it's not. It's the only thing we know so far, though, so—"

"So, basically, we know nothing," Stork summed up.

Aerrow threw up his hands, "Yes, okay? We know nothing!" His brows drew together with emotion. "I've failed, guys. It's my fault. Cyclonis is planning something catastrophic, and we don't have a clue." Aerrow turned away, running a gloved hand through his hair in frustration.

Piper reached to touch his shoulder, "Aerrow—"

He shook his head and cut her off harshly. "It's true, Piper! You can't—can't change it. This is because of me! If I hadn't gone and tried to be a hero, we wouldn't have gotten caught, and we'd have the information we need." His voice cracked, "I'm sorry, guys. I just—gah, just give me some time to think."

The others stayed silent, shocked, as he stalked from the room.

Piper hesitated a second, gave Stork a glare that said _look what you've done,_ and then followed.

Junko and Finn turned their own disapproving looks on Stork, who shrank back, chuckling nervously and giving an apologetic shrug.

Piper followed Aerrow down the corridor, hurrying to catch up to him. "Aerrow, look, you know it isn't your fault. Domiwick, Cyclonis; they're the ones to blame; they're the people causing all this trouble. Not you." She struggled to keep up with him as he walked on, not looking at her. "I know you, Aerrow. You've gone up against impossible odds before and come out on top. We're the Storm Hawks, for goodness' sake, we've outplayed the entire Cyclonian Empire! Have you forgotten that?"

Aerrow kept walking. "No, of course not, but we had all of Atmosia there to back us up. Now we're alone. On the Far Side, where we have no idea what to expect. We're at a—a disadvantage, to say the least."

Piper set her jaw, caught his arm and turned him to her. "We aren't alone," she said. "Cyclonis is the one who's alone. She may have the power, and the resources, and the knowledge, but the Storm Hawks have each other. We're a team. We can rely on each other. Master Cyclonis is so paranoid she has no one to fall back on but herself. She doesn't trust anyone, not with Dark Ace gone. That's what makes her vulnerable. Her greatest weakness is our greatest strength. That's why we're going to win. Now, quit with the pity-party and let's get a plan together, okay?" She looked up at Aerrow, her gaze locking with his.

He started to smile, then nodded and said, "Okay." They stood there silently for a moment, then Piper threw her arms around him.

"Thanks, Piper," Aerrow said, hugging her back, and then they broke away.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

Without a word they turned and walked side by side back to the bridge.

Stork was fiddling with something on the control board, and Junko and Finn were sitting on the round table in the center of the room. "You're back," Junko greeted them.

Stork glanced over his shoulder and grunted before turning back to the board.

Finn, sensing the change in Aerrow's attitude, hopped off the table and asked, "So, what's the plan?"

The Sky Knight went to the table Finn had just vacated. "That's what we're going to figure out. Everybody gather around."

The team complied and came to stand around the round table, even Radarr, who perched on the edge. Aerrow placed his fists against the tabletop and leaned on them. "First of all, we need to put a stop to that mining operation. We'll flush the Cyclonians out of the caves," he said, pointing out the window. "We'll fire a few shots from the blasters first, and then I'll go in and clean things up on the ground.

"Then we need to block off or seal up the tunnels so Cyclonis can't get to the big crystal. Once we do that, hopefully she'll take notice and reveal herself. If not, we'll just fly low for awhile and see what we can learn about this place, and the next time we catch wind of Cyclonian activity we'll hit 'em hard and see if we can track her down. Our first priority is finding Cyclonis and taking her in. Far Side research comes after that," he added, giving Piper a pointed look.

She frowned in return, and Aerrow shifted his gaze between each of his squadron members. "I want the very best from every one of you, and I'll try to do the same. Piper made a good point earlier: our greatest strength, trust, is Cyclonis' greatest weakness. Remember that, guys." He straightened up. "Now, let's go kick those Talons out. Ready?"

The team chorused, "Yeah!" and Aerrow gave a nod.

They scattered, Stork to the helm, Finn and Junko to the blasters on either side of the bridge, Radarr to the railing until something needed repair. Piper stayed next to Aerrow.

She looked over at him, hesitated, and then rose up on tiptoe and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Nice speech, Sky Knight," she said, "but I think you're forgetting something. You don't have your daggers, and our Skimmers are still hidden down in the caves. Sky Fu alone may not be enough against armed soldiers."

Aerrow, whose ears had gone red, said with a smirk, "Come on, it's Cyclonians we're talking about. I'll be fine."

Piper laughed. He was right, but she still wasn't completely convinced. "Just be careful," she implored him.

He nodded and gave her a gentle smile. "I will." Then he went to stand at the railing behind Stork. "Take us up, Stork," he ordered.

The Merb grunted an affirmative, fired up the engines, pulled a pair of levers and eased the Condor off the ground. Stork gripped the helm and guided the ship around the tower, then down to the cliff face. He positioned it so the blasters had a clear shot at the caves, then nodded to Aerrow over his shoulder.

In turn the Sky Knight called, "Now! Aim for the dark tunnels. We're just trying to scare them out—we don't want to hit anybody. Even if they are Cyclonians."

Junko and Finn answered, "Aye!" and started firing.

Their shots struck the cliff face in unison, avoiding the red-lit caves, and sent concussions through the pale stone that shook the whole terra. Before long, a stream of Talons came flooding out of the ground-level caves, waving their arms and yelling. Most spotted the Condor and took off on their Switchblades, while others fired weak bolts of energy at the airship from their staffs.

After another few rounds of blaster shots, Aerrow held up his hand.

About forty Cyclonian Talons had fled from the caves for fear of being crushed, just as the Storm Hawks had hoped, and most of that number had scrambled to their Skyrides and flown away.

Aerrow looked back at Piper, "That looks like most of the miners," he said, and Piper confirmed his statement with a nod. He turned back to the window.

"I'm going in. Wish me luck," he said, and Junko did with a wave.

Aerrow nodded to Stork, positioning himself over the ejector pad, and the Merb pulled the lever and sent him flying up and out the hatch in the ceiling. Aerrow whooped as he was shot straight up into the air, then activated his glider at the peak of his climb and spiraled back down and into one of the largest lit caves. The tips of his glider's wings clipped the sides of the cave as he entered, throwing up little jets of sparks.

Aerrow followed the cave's slope down until it opened into the crystal cavern, then swooped down to the floor and snapped in his glider's wings. He looked around. No Cyclonians in sight.

Good.

He went up to the big artichoke-shaped crystal, which was even more enormous up close, and checked its surface to see if the Talon miners had done any damage. Not a scratch showed on its ruby sides.

The carts of the red crystals from the walls were still there, too, abandoned where they stood by the fleeing Cyclonians.

Aerrow stepped over to one and picked up one of the crystals without thinking, wondering what chaos Cyclonis could possibly cause with all of them. He turned it over in his hands. A small jolt of electricity shot from it and up his arm, and he grunted and almost dropped it. What was that about? The shock wasn't painful enough to be any good as a weapon. Maybe a lot of them together would do some damage?

Maybe he could take one of them and get Piper to study it in her lab. It might even give them a clue as to what Master Cyclonis was planning. Aerrow smirked and slipped the crystal into a pocket. "Didn't count on this, did you, Cyclonis? Leave it to Domiwick to give us a whole cavern full of evidence," he said aloud. Then, "Wait a second. Domiwick."

Where was Domiwick, exactly? Now that Aerrow thought about it, he hadn't seen the khaki-clad blond leave the caves at all earlier. Realization flooded through him, and Aerrow's eyes widened.

He whirled around, too late.

I.J. Domiwick's tanned fist connected with his face, and Aerrow staggered and fell back against a mine cart full of crystals. He reached for his blades, remembered they were gone, and rolled out of the way of the vicious kick that Domiwick aimed at his head.

"Looking for these?" the fortune-seeker sneered, dangling Aerrow's daggers in front of him.

Aerrow lunged, but Domiwick snatched them out of reach and kicked him in the chest to keep him at bay. "Uh-uh-uh. You didn't say please." His grin was oily and repulsive.

Aerrow climbed to his feet, scowling, and growled, "Domiwick, you don't have to work for Cyclonis. She's the _bad_ guy. We can help you, if you just—"

"Master Cyclonis has offered me fame and fortune and glory in exchange for doing a little of her dirty work! What more could one ask for?" Domiwick interrupted.

Aerrow jumped forward, kicked him in the side and danced back again. "You already have fame and fortune, Domiwick!"

"Not here!" the blond countered, struggling to regain his breath. "You blasted Storm Hawks can be thanked for that!"

Aerrow lowered his fists, taken aback. "What?"

"You are the reason I'm stuck here!" Domiwick cried. "This journey was meant to be a short expedition to the Other Side and back, just to boost my popularity a bit, renew my fans' rabid admiration, but since you children sealed the way back to Atmos, I am forever stranded in this accursed place! Master Cyclonis offered me back what I have lost. Is it really so hard to believe that I agreed?"

Aerrow shook his head slowly in denial. "We were trying to save the terra from mutant sharks. I'm sorry, Domiwick, but we gave you a chance to get out before we sealed the entrance to the Tunnels. We were doing the right thing—"

"By condemning me to this tedious existence? Hardly the right thing!"

Aerrow raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Not exactly how I'd describe it, but of course we chose to protect thousands of people instead of worrying about you," he said.

Domiwick gasped dramatically, taken aback. "You—you dare...?" he whispered.

Aerrow rolled his eyes. "There are other ways back to Atmos," he said frankly.

Domiwick looked like a startled goldfish for a moment before he composed himself. "What? There are?"

Aerrow nodded. "They are called the 'Endless Tunnels' for a reason. There are some still unsealed on the Atmosian side. I'm sure one of them reaches this place. Or we could reopen the Door somehow."

Domiwick was silent for a moment. "You aren't just pulling my leg now, are you, boy?" he finally asked.

Aerrow shook his head. Domiwick considered this, then said, "Well, I believe you, but I'm not betraying Master Cyclonis. Her side is obviously the winning one at the moment, and I wouldn't want to put myself in danger." Then he smirked. "Perhaps when this is all over, I will return to Atmos and be crowned a hero, known for my epic journey across the border between worlds." He placed a hand to his chest importantly.

Aerrow frowned. "Um, yeah. Not likely."

He leaped up then, twisted and kicked Domiwick in the jaw, sending his fancy fedora flying from its perch on his head. The treasure hunter fell, unconscious, and Aerrow retrieved his blades (and the hat, figuring it was important to Domiwick). Then he turned to leave.

As an afterthought, he grabbed an extra blood-red crystal from the mine cart and slipped it into his pocket, and then dragged Domiwick through the cave directly ahead.

A few minutes later he stepped out into the open again, arms and back protesting from the strain of hauling Domiwick from the cavern.

The Condor was idling some distance above the ground, the Cyclonians had all been chased away on their Switchblades, and Piper was emerging from another cave to his right with her heliscooter. When she saw him, Aerrow beckoned her over.

She hurried to them and looked down at the unconscious man. "Domiwick? I would've thought him to be the first one out," she said.

"I know," Aerrow said grimly. "He was expecting me. There's something more going on here than we thought."

He and Piper shared a worried look. Aerrow was the first to shake off a lingering sense of doom. "Can you give me a hand with him?" he asked, gesturing at the prostrate Domiwick. "I don't want him to get caught in the blast when we seal this place up."

She nodded, but frowned distastefully as she lifted Domiwick's arm across her shoulders. Aerrow replaced the man's hat and did the same on his other side, and the Storm Hawks half-carried the treasure hunter over to one side, behind an outcropping of rock, out of the way of the caves.

They left him there, and Aerrow went to retrieve his Skimmer from the cave where he'd hidden it before. He mounted up, and he and Piper took off for the Condor.

On the way there, Piper filled him in. "Junko set charges just inside the entrances to most of the caves. It should cut off any access to the crystal cavern... Hey, are you okay?"

Aerrow had been deep in thought, only half listening. He blinked and looked over. "What?"

Piper looked a little concerned. "Are you alright?" she repeated. "You looked a little...spaced out."

Aerrow nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just...Domiwick said something. He blames us for being stuck here," he said.

Piper shook her head. "That's ridiculous!" she cried. "He had a chance to get out of there, and he chose not to."

Aerrow rubbed his neck. "Yeah, well, I know..." he trailed off.

"But...?" Piper inquired.

He shook his head and said, "Nothing. Never mind. Let's just concentrate on sealing the caves."

Piper sighed. She knew he was beating himself up over something he wasn't responsible for—again—but now wasn't the time to worry about it. They had to seal the caves. They rode their Skimmers into the hangar bay, parked them, and headed up to the bridge.

Junko was there, holding a remote control and bouncing up and down with excitement. When they entered, he begged, "Can I do it now?"

Piper smiled. "Yes, Junko. Seal the caves!"

The Wallop laughed with childish joy and pressed the button on his remote. The explosives he'd set down by the cliff went off with a flash and a noise like thunder, and Stork pulled the Condor up further to avoid any danger.

The cliff face collapsed, slabs of stone sliding and chunks of rock tumbling down to rest in piles. When the billowing white dust cleared, no entrance into the tunnels stood open.

The Storm Hawks cheered and exchanged high-fives to celebrate their success (excluding Stork, of course, who just laughed nervously, glad they hadn't been caught in the blast and sent to a fiery doom).

Afterward, Aerrow went over to Piper, digging one of the red crystals out of his pocket and showing it to her. "Can you tell me what this is?" he asked.

Piper took it from his outstretched hand, then yelped and dropped it when it sent a jolt of electricity up her arm.

Aerrow caught the crystal before it hit the ground and gave it back to her. "It did that to me too. Sorry."

Piper shook her head, holding the red stone up to her eye. "I can't tell what it is just by looking at it. Mind if I take it to the crystal lab and...?" she inquired, pointing to express her meaning.

Aerrow shrugged. "Go ahead. I just want to know if it's going to explode or something."

Piper nodded and exited the bridge.

Aerrow stepped up to the railing next to the helm. "Stork, navigation is still down, right?"

The Merb answered, "Yep. Don't think it's ever going to respond here."

"How long have we been gone?" the Sky Knight inquired.

Stork glanced at the Timepulse indicator, "Five hours."

Aerrow nodded. "And I'm homesick already," he sighed to himself, and turned away from the window. He pulled the second crystal from his pocket and looked at it. Its face looked oddly warped, even though when he rubbed his thumb across it it was perfectly flat. "Huh," he said, turning it over in his hands.

Then he went over to the table and looked at the mostly-blank paper spread across it. It was a map, with only two detailed terras drawn in the center and a scale legend in one corner.

Apparently Piper had been busy while he was gone.

Even so, with no navigation and no sun to use as a constant (the sky was still dark, and the two towers seemed to be the only sources of light at the moment), they were still flying blind. They couldn't safely go anywhere save the two terras they'd already visited, and Aerrow wanted to get away from this one in case the Cyclonians dropped by, so he straightened and ordered, "Stork, take us back to the other terra."

Stork saluted and gripped the helm, and the Condor turned about and headed back toward the first terra they'd seen. "May I ask...why?" Stork asked.

Aerrow answered him, "I don't want to be here if the Cyclonians come back. The only place we can go is that terra."

The Merb nodded, "You do know Piper has a Compass Crystal, right?" he said, looking back over his shoulder.

Aerrow's gaze snapped up to the pilot. "What?"

Stork grimaced and spoke carefully. "I saw her with it earlier, while you were on your...ah, mission down there," he waved a hand vaguely toward the terra they'd just left. "She was fiddling with the navigational controls. I think she was going to surprise us later with an amazing new compass...thingy, for the ship. Oops. Spoiled the surprise." He shrugged.

Aerrow sighed. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll talk to her about it," he said, and Stork smiled slightly in acknowledgement.

The Sky Knight turned and strode from the room, turned out into the corridor, and ran straight into his navigator. Piper yelped, and Aerrow jumped back, startled.

"Oh. Uh, sorry." He cleared his throat awkwardly, and then straightened. "Piper, Stork tells me you have a Compass Crystal you didn't mention earlier. Care to explain?" he asked.

Piper looked guilty immediately, "Oh, Aerrow, I was going to use it to get navigation back up. Like, as a surprise. Sorry I didn't tell you about it." She grimaced and looked away.

Aerrow knew he should've been irritated, but he felt himself start to smile.

Piper's apologetic expression turned to one of confusion. "What?" she asked.

Aerrow shook his head, chuckling. "You've got to tell me about stuff like that. It could mean the difference between success and, well, a horrible doom."

Piper nodded and stared down at her feet again. "I know. I'm sorry." Then she looked up laughing. "You've been spending too much time around Stork."

Aerrow rubbed his neck. "I know. Anything else you've been keeping from me?" he asked.

Piper hesitated a second, then shook her head. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red, and Aerrow raised an eyebrow. She reached into her crystal bag and brought out the blood-red stone, then held it up.

"Anyway, I was coming to tell you what I found. This has almost the same composition as a Medulla Crystal, but not exactly."

"Like the one used with the Suit of Untold Vengeance?" Aerrow clarified.

Piper nodded.

"Why would she want one of those?" he asked.

Piper shrugged. "I can think of a lot of evil plots that might include one of these."

Aerrow's brows drew together. "Well, if Cyclonis is so interested in it, we are too. Piper, right now you get to work with that Compass Crystal. I'm sure Stork wouldn't mind you improving the Condor's systems. I'm going to go down to the terra again and see if I can find a crystal expert. I need to find out what these are for. It may lead us to Master Cyclonis."

...

At that moment, Master Cyclonis herself was perched upon the seat of her new throne, gazing at the slab of blood-red crystal in her hand, a malicious smirk playing at her lips. She chuckled softly, watching the young Sky Knight's every move through the crystal, relishing the look of helpless bemusement upon his handsome face.

The Storm Hawks had no idea.

They didn't know what she was planning, and she intended to keep it that way until she chose to strike. She looked up and addressed the image of the man standing stone-still at her side. His body seemed to writhe with shifting hues of red and yellow, like molten lava.

"Our plan is working flawlessly," she said to the shadow of a man. "Soon you will get you chance for revenge, Dark Ace."

...


	6. Chapter 6

Aerrow rode his Skimmer down to the surface of the dark, mountainous terra, Radarr present in his copilot's sidecar, and parked it against the wall of a stone building nearby.

He and Radarr then walked into the cluster of buildings along the bank of the black river, the arrangement looking a bit like a toned-down, eerily lit Western village. He earned several suspicious looks from the townsfolk as he walked by, and he tried to keep his gaze on the ground to avoid any awkward staring-contests.

As he reached the first line of shops and stores Aerrow looked up at the glowing signs over the doors, searching for anything having to do with crystals. The writing above each entryway, carved into the stone with amazing precision, wasn't Atmosian, but similar enough that Aerrow could make it out without much trouble.

The first sign read, 'Eirodike's Speeders.' The second said, 'Black Valley Consignment.' A third, 'Greenlight Tavern.'

Aerrow continued on down the line, avoiding a small crowd of giggling girls (one of whom, a plainly dressed blonde, looked oddly familiar), and read the next sign: 'Crystal Specialties.' He looked at Radarr, perched on his shoulder. "Well, that was easy."

Radarr chirped in agreement, and Aerrow went up to the shop door and opened it carefully. He stepped into the building, gagged at the thick scent of perfume in the air, and looked around. Contrasting with the world outside, the place was brightly lit by rows of crystals in the ceiling, and waist-high display cases full of colorful stones dominated the floorspace. A wooden counter stood by the wall to his left, a door behind it, but no one was there.

"Hello?" Aerrow called.

He heard a crash from behind the door, and shouting. Fearing the worst, Aerrow drew his daggers, vaulted the counter and kicked open the door, ready for a fight.

An elderly man stood alone in the middle of the gray-walled room, holding a pair of metal tongs, pieces of broken glass and crystal littering the floor around his feet. The stooped old man wore a fitted suit similar to Aerrow's own, inlaid with crystals and looking very high-tech, though everything else about him reminded Aerrow of the head councilman on Terra Atmosia.

When Aerrow burst through the door with daggers glowing the man froze, mouth agape, looking as if he'd nearly suffered a heart attack. Aerrow stared. After a second Radarr pulled on Aerrow's ear, and he sheathed his daggers and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, sir. I thought the—the Talons—ah, never mind. I heard shouting. Are you okay?" he managed.

The wispy-haired man adopted a sour expression. "Why, yes, of course I am. I dropped one of my crystal displays and got upset, that's all. And what do you want, young man?"

Aerrow scratched his head. "I need someone to tell me what this crystal is," he held up the red one, "and you seemed to be the best man for the job." He figured a little flattery couldn't hurt, and it seemed to work.

"Ah. Yes, well, right you are." The old man took the crystal from Aerrow with his metal tongs and held it up, bringing out a tiny machine with a screen and holding it in front of the crystal.

Then, suddenly, he cried out and dropped it, jumping back. "Oh, dear, do you have any idea what this is?" he demanded.

Aerrow coughed. "Ah, well, no. That's why I came to you."

The old man shook his head, backing away. "I don't know what you're mixed up in, boy, but I suggest you get rid of that crystal as soon as possible," he warned, voice shaking.

Aerrow took a step forward, and Radarr gripped his shoulder with fright. "What? Why? What is it?" he demanded, panic rising. That thing had been on the Condor! If it was a threat, he wanted to know it right now.

The old man turned and hurried toward the door, "That, young man, is one of the Forbidden Crystals of Terra Dolos," he said at a rough whisper, and disappeared. Aerrow looked back and forth between the crystal and the door the man had just left through.

"Forbidden Crystal..." he echoed, and Radarr whimpered.

...

Piper held the metal panel in place as Stork finished fastening the screws. He straightened then and said, "There. Now, stand back in case this bursts into a raging inferno, and..." He pulled a lever by the helm.

The dials on the navigational board spun wildly for a moment, and the team watched them with breaths held hopefully. Before long, the arrows aligned. Stork laughed in rare wonder. "We did it!" he exclaimed.

Piper let out a relieved sigh. "Navigation is back up and running, guys!" she announced.

Finn came over, having spent the whole time lounging in a chair to one side, and asked, "Cool. Now can we get some food?"

Piper put her hands on her hips. "Wait until Aerrow gets back," she told him.

Junko groaned loudly from across the room. "But we haven't eaten since...I can't even remember how long ago!" he whined. Finn nodded in agreement.

Stork reminded them, "If you hadn't thrown all my cabbage at each other's heads we'd have more to eat."

Piper rolled her eyes. "We'll stop somewhere as soon as we're all here, okay? Our first priority is still finding Cyclonis."

Finn joined in with Junko's groaning. "I can't fight evil on an empty stomach!"

Piper sighed and didn't grace them with a response, turning to look out the window. She perched on the edge of the center table and watched hopefully for Aerrow's return.

...

Aerrow considered leaving the red crystal there on the floor and never worrying about it again, but he thought better of it, sighed, and picked up the forbidden stone, slipping it back into his pocket.

Radarr barked a warning, but Aerrow said, "I can't just abandon our only clue, Radarr. Forbidden or not, we're getting to the bottom of this." He pushed through the door to the main room, the old man nowhere to be seen, and then exited the building.

He knew he wouldn't be learning anything more from the crystal expert, so on a hunch he went over to the Greenlight Tavern, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.

It wasn't nearly as rancid-smelling or busy as he'd expected. It was a wide, futuristic room with dim green crystals lining the ceiling and every surface composed of smooth metal.

Only a handful of people sat at the sleek booths, talking quietly or just staring down fondly into their glasses of who-knows-what, and a bored-looking man stood at the counter holding a rag. The three waitresses he could see were chatting to each other at a booth near the counter, dressed in modest green-lined uniforms.

Contrary to what he'd heard about most taverns, it seemed an ultramodern, well-kept place. Pleasantly surprised, Aerrow went up to the man at the counter and cut straight to the point.

"Sir, what can you tell me about the Forbidden Crystals of Terra Dolos?"

The bartender looked up, startled. He was a young, dark-haired man, the beginnings of a beard reaching partway along his jaw, and he looked intelligent enough. Several of the other patrons looked up as well, giving Aerrow harsh looks. He suddenly felt uneasy.

The bartender said, "Kid, you'd best not talk about things like that. It could get you in trouble."

Aerrow looked at him. "This is very important. I need to know whatever there is to know about them," he said.

The bartender growled, "There _is_ nothing to know. All anyone knows about the Crystals is that they were once used for unspeakable evil. Unspeakable. Get it?"

Aerrow opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it and turned away. This wasn't going nearly as smoothly as he'd hoped. Aerrow ran a hand through his hair. If the people in this place wouldn't tell him anything, maybe he could find out for himself. Maybe there was a library around that he could visit; find a book on the crystals or something.

That was as good a plan as any, he figured, and so without looking back he left the tavern and stepped back outside. Aerrow searched the little town for a library or something similar, but he found nothing that was any help.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again, returning to his Skimmer once he'd finished. He looked over at Radarr, perched on his shoulder looking deflated. "Cheer up, buddy. We'll figure this out. For now let's head back to the Condor and check up on the new navigational system."

Radarr chirped halfheartedly as Aerrow climbed onto his Skimmer, and they sped off and took flight, heading toward the Condor. Aerrow could only partially enjoy the excitement of flying through the dark atmosphere, the wind tugging at his uniform and his red hair, so distracted and worried was he.

When Aerrow and his copilot reached the ship they went up to the bridge right away.

There, Piper was sitting on the edge of the center table, Stork was standing at the railing looking nervous, and Junko and Finn were sitting in chairs nearby, groaning dramatically.

Aerrow took in the scene and looked to Piper, questioning.

She rolled her eyes. "They're hungry. I said we could find somewhere to eat when you got back."

Aerrow nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, actually. How's navigation?" he asked.

Stork held up a finger and answered, "Fully functional and ready to go. I hope."

Aerrow nodded, suspecting that was the best report he could get from Stork, and confirmed, "Good. Find somewhere to stop for awhile, then."

The Merb grunted an affirmative and gripped the helm as Aerrow turned to leave.

"Aerrow," Piper called.

He stopped, wincing. He'd known this was unavoidable.

"What did you learn about the crystals?" she asked. Aerrow turned back to his team, rubbing his neck. Even the boys were looking at him expectantly.

"Not much," Aerrow said. "Or at least nothing that will help." He avoided mentioning the 'unspeakable evil' part of what he'd heard, and he could tell Piper knew he was holding something back, though she didn't say anything.

Junko sighed. "Oh, well. We'll figure it out another way, then."

Finn nodded and added, "Yeah. We always do."

Stork stayed silent; he wasn't as sure about that as the others.

Piper just crossed her arms. She intended to figure out what Aerrow was keeping from them, just not here. She didn't want to worry everyone else. So, when Aerrow stepped out the door and started down the hall, she followed him, intending to pry the truth from him before he got too far.

Aerrow heard her footsteps behind him and considered dashing away down the corridor before she could question him, but he thought better of it and stopped, turning to face her. Piper nearly ran into him at the sudden halt, but she composed herself and asked, "So, what are you hiding? Tell me everything that happened down there. Everything."

Aerrow sighed and scratched his head uncomfortably before he answered, "First I went to a crystal identifier. I showed him this, and he freaked out. He told me this was a forbidden crystal of some sort—" he held up the blood-red stone, "—and he ran away, so I left. Then there was the bartender at the Greenlight Tavern—"

"Aerrow, you went to a bar?" Piper interrupted, but at his impatient look she waved him on. "Okay, sorry, go ahead."

Aerrow continued, "I asked the guy what he knew about the crystals. He told me I could get in trouble for asking things like that, and he said these were once used to commit unspeakable evils. I didn't want to worry the others—or, well, you, but here you are—so I didn't say anything."

Piper sighed. "Now who's keeping secrets?"

Aerrow went to reply, but she cut him off with a shake of her head.

"Never mind," she said. "The others need to know—"

"Ahem. We already do," Stork's voice came out of nowhere.

Aerrow and Piper whirled around as he, Finn, Junko and Radarr stepped around the corner. Stork was smiling slyly.

Piper huffed. "You guys, really?"

Finn shrugged. "You weren't the only one who knew he was hiding something," he said to her. Radarr chirped in agreement.

"How much did you hear?" Aerrow asked.

Junko answered cheerfully, "Oh, everything."

Aerrow nodded. "Good. Then I don't have to repeat myself." He looked between the members of his squadron and went on, "From what we've heard, these crystals are dangerous. I want them put somewhere safe and nobody touching them, got it? It's a good thing we sealed the caves when we did, or Cyclonis would already have a cavernful of these things."

Junko asked then, "Uh, if we just cut off Master Cyclonis' only source of the crystals, and she wants them that badly, won't that make us her biggest target? We have the only ones."

Aerrow nodded. He'd realized that, but it didn't make much of a difference seeing as they were her prime target anyway. He told Junko this and the Wallop nodded in understanding.

Aerrow said then, "Right now, what we need to do is—"

"Find somewhere to eat?" Finn suggested.

Aerrow sighed, "That too, but first we need to lock up the crystals and search the area for any sign of Cyclonian activity. We can eat while we look."

The boys high-fived triumphantly, and Piper rolled her eyes. Aerrow looked to her and said, holding up his red crystal, "I'm going to put this away down in the brig, just in case. I need yours too."

Piper nodded and fished in her pockets, came up emtpy-handed. "I must have left it in my room," she sighed.

"I'll stop by and get it, then," Aerrow said, turning to go.

Piper called, "Wait!" reaching out a hand to stop him, but she composed herself quickly and cleared her throat. "Um, I'd rather you not. I'll, uh, get it myself," she said.

Everyone looked at her strangely.

Piper ducked her head. "I mean, it's my room, so I don't want people...going in there."

Stork came up behind her suddenly, eye twitching with suspicion. "You aren't hiding a body in there or anything, right? Hmm?" he pressed.

Finn said, "Maybe she's keeping an evil bat thing as a pet."

"Or—or, a secret stash of candy!" Junko joined in.

"Guys, leave her alone. She's not hiding any dead bodies." Aerrow waved them off.

Stork held up a finger. "As far as you know, she's not. You seemed pretty quick to defend her there, too. I'll bet you're in on it! You're both hiding a dead body! You sick people! You didn't let me help!" he cried.

Piper stepped away from all of them, saying, "No, I'm not hiding a body! No one is hiding anything! I just don't want you guys in my room. It's the only private place on this ship—"

"Ah, well, there is the storage closet—"

"Stork, not helping! Leave me alone, okay?" Piper brushed by the boys and left the bridge.

Finn and Junko exchanged a glance and started to smile. Stork looked a bit put out. Aerrow sighed at them all and stepped out into the corridor as well, figuring he'd better smooth things over now rather than later.

Friction within the team was the last thing they needed right now.

He knew she'd told them to leave her alone, but there were more important things to address. Like the crystals.

None of them had any idea what the blood-red stones could do, aside from some sort of 'unspeakable evil'. Maybe they exploded. Or infected people with an incurable virus that would kill them slowly and horribly.

Aerrow shuddered. He was thinking too much like Stork.

As he turned the corner and reached the hall where the team's quarters were located, he took a deep breath and called, "Piper?"

He saw her stop in the doorway to her room. "I told you to leave me alone," she said.

Aerrow came to a stop some feet away, a respectful distance. "I know," he answered simply. Then he went on, "The guys were just messing around, you know. Don't let them get to you. Unless, of course...you really are hiding a body in your room." He smiled crookedly and Piper rolled her eyes, mood seeming to improve.

She sighed. "You're all hopeless."

She stepped into her room then, and Aerrow came to stand in the doorway as she searched her desk. She found the red crystal and straightened, holding the stone up to the light.

"I wonder what this thing really does," she mused.

Aerrow shrugged and said, "I kind of hope we never find out."

Piper stepped over and handed it to him. Aerrow took the crystal and slipped it into his pocket next to the other one, then asked her, "You really aren't hiding something important from us, right?"

Piper shook her head. "Of course not," she said. "I just need my space."

Aerrow nodded and gave her a slight smile, then stepped out into the hall and headed toward the brig.

Down a flight of narrow stairs he went, then through the corridors and down a series of metal ladders, stopping at a heavy iron door. The brig was where prisoners would be kept, if they'd had any, and for the Storm Hawks it also doubled as a safe to lock away any dangerous objects they came across.

The strange red crystals certainly fit the description, and so Aerrow took them to the metal storage container they'd installed there and placed them inside.

Before he shut and locked the door to the safe, however, he felt a strange feeling of hesitation still his hand. Did he really want to lock away such a powerful weapon?

What if they could learn how to use it and defeat Cyclonis in the blink of an eye?

The idea sounded worthwhile.

But no, he told himself, according to the people on the surface the crystals were evil, or they had been used so in the past. They couldn't risk history repeating itself.

Aerrow turned, shut the container lid and turned away.

Then he paused. Something didn't feel right.

He turned back to the container and stepped toward it carefully, narrowing his eyes. Something smelled like ozone.

An unearthly shriek suddenly tore through the air. Aerrow cried out and clapped his hands to his ears to drown out the horrible noise, stumbling away right as a blast of red lightning exploded from the pair of crystals, shattering the metal container.

He forced himself to straighten up to see what was happening and glimpsed the smoking remains of the safe before the red lightning whipped around and struck him in the chest, and a translucent image of a snakelike creature reared its spiked head and followed the red streak into his body.

A bolt of fierce pain assaulted him, and Aerrow clutched his head and cried out, sinking to one knee. His chest convulsed, ribs protesting. He couldn't draw a breath. A feeling like fire licked up and down his limbs, and he futilely swiped at his skin to try to expel the burning.

He fought the wave of darkness threatening to engulf him and failed utterly.

...

Master Cyclonis stared raptly into her crystal tablet, watching the Sky Knight crumple to the deck of his ship unconscious, a slight smile flickering at her lips.

The crystal beasts were behaving perfectly.

She reached for her staff and laid a hand on the lava-colored crystal at the top, bending it to her will, bringing forth the image of the man trapped inside.

A projection of the Dark Ace appeared beside her. "Master." He inclined his head slightly with respect.

"Dark Ace," she greeted him, and in an instant of genuine caring she inquired, "How are you feeling?"

Her Talon commander, still unfailingly loyal to her despite what had happened, looked slightly confused. "I—I'm sorry?" he asked, thinking he'd misheard her.

Cyclonis repeated herself, "I asked, how are you feeling?"

Dark Ace clasped his hands behind his back. "I am better, I suppose. It is...disconcerting to be separated from one's body, as you may imagine. I will be fit for duty as soon as you wish, though, Master," he answered.

Cyclonis nodded slowly. "Good. I am still searching for a way to return you to normal, Dark Ace. Those Storm Hawks are proving just as dimwitted as I'd expected, though. I will have complete control over the Sky Knight soon, and I'm sure the rest won't pose too much of a problem...well, perhaps not. That navigator girl...Piper...she will be a bit more difficult to handle, I suspect."

"Perhaps, Master," Dark Ace said. "Even so, we will crush her along with the rest." A malicious smile spread over his face, and Master Cyclonis chuckled softly.

"Your confidence inspires me, my champion," she said, and Cyclonis held up her staff again.

The projection returned to the stone in a thin line of lightning, and the young empress sat back in her throne with a sigh.

Soon, very soon, it would be time to set the next step of her plan in motion.

She would break apart the pesky Storm Hawks squadron from within, without even lifting a finger against them herself. She smiled slightly at the thought. Once they were removed from the equation, she would be one step closer to taking control of Atmosia again.

After that would come the rest of the world.


	7. Floating Terra

Aerrow's eyes snapped open. He sat up with a pained sigh and looked around the brig, noting the charred pieces of the safe, the closed metal door behind him, and the blood-red crystals resting unharmed where he'd placed them. Those accursed crystals. He raised a hand to his head, where a dull throb remained.

What exactly had happened? Aerrow remembered the crystal sending out bolts of red lightning when he put it in the safe, and then the terrible shrieks it had emitted. After that...the snaky creature had vanished into his chest. Aerrow started to breathe faster.

What was that thing? Was is inside of him somehow right now?

He was suddenly reminded of the Nightcrawlers' armor; the translucent beasts that had seemed to inhabit the crystals within. Something like that had just wormed its way into him?

Aerrow shuddered and grasped at his chest, searching with his fingers for any holes or unnatural lumps or other signs of alien presence. The front of his uniform was charred, the armor plates partly melted, but aside from that there was nothing strange.

Regardless, this was very bad.

There was an evil Far Side critter inside of him, probably killing him from the inside out, and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. Maybe Piper could figure out some way to get the thing out, or maybe this one had allergies like the Nightcrawlers' crystal creatures. There may still be some hope. He had to tell the others.

Aerrow pushed himself up from the floor, steadied himself, and opened the door to the rest of the ship. He stepped through, locked it securely behind him and climbed the series of ladders, then the stairs, then hurried through the hallways and stumbled onto the bridge.

He was met by his team, the five of them turning around, startled. Before anyone could speak, Aerrow gasped, "We have a serious problem."

Stork grumbled, "You think?" without turning around.

Piper ignored him and hurried over to Aerrow, touching gently the burned patch on his chest, "Aerrow, what happened?" she asked breathlessly.

"Are you okay?" Junko inquired.

Finn looked over Junko's shoulder. "Dude, what happened to you?" he cried, sounding quite shocked. "You were gone, like, five minutes, man. How'd you get blown up?"

Aerrow answered, "The crystals. I was putting them in the safe in the brig, and they started blasting lightning. A bolt hit me, and a creature like the ones in the Nightcrawler armor went...into my chest, I guess. I blacked out."

"So...one of those things is _inside_ you?" Junko asked, voice wavering with fright.

"Dude, that's so creepy!" Finn exclaimed.

"I knew it," Stork declared, "It's going to eat your soul and kill you horribly from within!"

Aerrow scowled. "Thanks, Stork, I feel much better now."

Piper said nothing, checking Aerrow's wound with a feather-light touch. It seemed the lightning hadn't done much damage, his armor taking the brunt of the strike, but around the plating his skin was reddened and raw. When her fingers brushed across the damaged area Aerrow, swallowed down a shout of pain and she jerked her hand away. "Sorry. I just need to see how serious it is," she apologized sympathetically.

Aerrow gave a grunt in acknowledgement. Then he addressed the whole team, "Whatever this thing's going to do, it can't be good. We need to find a way to get it out. Until then, I think it would be safest for us to land and lock me up somewhere it can't hurt anyone else."

The others nodded grimly.

After a moment, "I leave you alone for five minutes and you get struck by lightning and attacked by an alien," Piper murmured halfheartedly, reaching into the crystal bag at her hip. Aerrow shrugged helplessly, not knowing what to say.

She drew out a pair of crystals, one blue, one green, and held them up to his burns. A wave of cool air washed from the blue one, soothing the irritated wound, and the second slowly repaired the damaged skin. After a moment Aerrow's wound was gone, and Piper replaced her crystals.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, and she nodded without a word.

Then Stork called from the helm, "We're nearing a terra. A...floating one."

Finn ran to the railing and looked out the window. "Dude..." he said in awe.

Junko joined him, exclaiming, "Wow!"

Soon everyone was lined up at the windows, staring out at the mass of land hovering before them. A frown settled over Aerrow's features. This floating terra reminded him too much of Cyclonia in its last days of power. It looked as though the very same antigravity crystal pontoons powered this terra's flight.

He exchanged a glance with Piper, who seemed to be thinking the same thing he was.

"Do you think this is safe?" Junko asked, voicing their thoughts. "Those pontoons look a lot like the ones on Cyclonia. What if these people were the ones who gave them to Master Cyclonis?"

Aerrow looked determined. "I don't know. Maybe they're common here. If these are the source of the pontoons, though, that just means we're one step closer to finding Cyclonis."

The team was silent for some time while Stork brought the Condor closer and maneuvered it into position alongside a sky dock. Several other airships, mostly freighters and patched cargo ships, were docked similarly all around the terra. Bright blue sky defied the cover of heavy clouds here, unlike the other terras they'd seen. On the surface, the ground was dusty and reddish and crossed with tire tracks, and clusters of buildings dotted the landscape. The whole place seemed to be a kind of hovering rest stop.

Finn scanned the terra appraisingly and shrugged. "Looks nice enough. Kind of like Terra Saharr."

The others nodded in agreement. "I don't think Cyclonia's pontoons came from this place," Aerrow said with relief. "You three," he went on, nodding to Junko, Finn and Piper, "go check the place out. Yes, you can eat while you're there. See what you can learn about anything that will help; the forbidden crystals, Cyclonis' location, a map of this world, whatever. For now I'll be under house arrest, and Stork, you can stay with the ship. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Right." Aerrow smiled tightly. "Then let's go."

The team separated; Finn, Piper and Junko to the hangar bay, Radarr to the railing next to Stork, and Aerrow to his quarters with the door bolted.

Minutes later the recon team was heading to the surface on their Skimmers, their cerulean contrails marking their path from the Condor to the ground. Stork took to checking the ship's controls, and Radarr fell asleep on top of the helm.

...

Aerrow sat against the wall on his bed, shirt in his lap, stitching a new red patch over the burned area on his uniform. Still he felt nothing strange; no ill effects of having a luminous crystal-snake fly into him. He was deeply disturbed by the idea nonetheless. It was bad enough having enemies with such strange creatures as allies, but this was another horror entirely.

He absently felt the place on his chest where the lightning had struck. Nothing remained of his burns but a slight sheen to the healed skin, and still there was no sign of alien presence. A small comfort.

He finished the last stitch in his shirt and held it up. The new patch matched the ones over the shoulders in color, and the seam was satisfactory enough. He pulled the shirt back on and leaned against the wall.

How long did he have? Was the creature really killing him, right now, as he sat?

He rested his head back against the wall. He didn't want to consider such depressing ideas.

Aerrow slid off the bed and went over to his desk, shuffling through the pile of random items there until he found a decent pencil and his pad of paper. Then he returned to his seat.

Aerrow liked sketching.

Not many people knew it, and rarely did he have idle time to spend doing it, but nonetheless it was something he enjoyed more than much else.

He crossed his legs and stared at the paper for a moment, thinking. Then he began to draw.

...

Finn landed first, snapping in his Skimmer's wings and skidding to a stop, red dust billowing up from his tires.

Junko and Piper landed their skyrides on either side of him, and they rode from there into the cluster of buildings closest them, leaving their own tracks in the dirt behind them, a memory of their passage.

From here they could see the details of the place more clearly: twisting paths joined the scatterings of structures together, each group of buildings consisting of a few restaurants and diners, repair shops, secondhand stores, 'Speeder' rentals (none of the Storm Hawks were exactly sure what a Speeder was), and motels.

Sky docks ringed the terra all the way around, and most were occupied by the same beat-up freighters they'd seen from the Condor.

The people they could see were mostly burly men, dressed in rough attire and worn boots, roaming the streets chatting gruffly and tending to their business.

A few other people were thrown into the mix as well: a lanky man in a vest walking with a young woman with gray hair, a strangely familiar blonde lady and her son, a brightly dressed guy eating a sandwich on a bench to one side.

The Storm Hawks took all this in and parked their Skimmers at the edge of the street.

Piper addressed the boys, "Let's split up and cover as much ground as possible. We need to ask the people here what they know about Cyclonis and the forbidden crystals, and I need to find a map."

"After we eat, right?" Junko asked.

Finn nodded earnestly in agreement, and Piper sighed. "Yes, after we eat." she told them, and immediately they whooped and ran off toward the nearest diner: 'Clear Skies: Burgers and Fries'.

She had to laugh, albeit shaking her head, and followed them at a more appropriate pace.

...

Back on the bridge, Radarr was snoring gently, draped over the helm, and Stork was fiddling with the environmental controls.

"You know, I've never really experimented much with this," he mused to Radarr, who, of course was still asleep. Stork rubbed his hands together mischievously, a smile spreading over his face. "Now that all the Condor's systems are brand-new, maybe I should see what she's really capable of."

Stork reached out and twisted a dial with a sudden jerk, and the room temperature plummeted.

Every surface crackled as silvery frost sheeted it. Radarr woke with a startled chirp and rolled off the helm, landing on the floor with a thump. Stork chuckled, breath turning to white mist in the freezing air, and turned the dial the other way.

The temperature rose sharply, making the frost melt in a split second and slide to the floor in a curtain of water. Radarr squeaked. Heat waves radiated in blurry ripples from everything in the room, and the window cracked with the sudden pressure change.

"Oops," Stork grumbled, and turned the dial back to its regular position.

The temperature leveled out again and Stork went to the window, running a finger along the new crack. He sighed. Radarr jumped back up onto the helm and chirped scoldingly.

Stork was tempted to swat him across the room, but refrained.

Instead he muttered "I'll fix it later," and returned to the environmental board.

His finger hovered over the buttons and dials for a moment, undecided, and then he pressed a random button.

Gravity vanished.

Laughing crazily, Stork rose into the air, turning slowly upside down, and Radarr was lifted from his perch on the helm again. The furry blue creature crossed his arms indignantly as he floated toward the ceiling.

Stork pressed another button. He and Radarr dropped back to the floor ungracefully, and the oxygen was sucked from the room.

Stork grinned despite the lack of air in his lungs, watching Radarr flop dramatically onto the ground and clutch at his throat.

He pressed the button again and drew in a deep breath as oxygen returned.

"Isn't this fun?" he giggled.

Radarr chirped angrily and jumped up onto the control board, spreading his arms to keep Stork from pressing any more buttons.

The Merb sighed heavily in mock disappointment. "Fine," he groaned, and shuffled back to his place at the helm.

...

Aerrow sat patiently through the sudden environmental changes, letting Stork have his fun uninterrupted, and continued sketching.

At first the picture had seemed formless and random, but quickly it was taking shape and becoming more recognizable. For some time Aerrow sat, the image in his head transferring to paper through the strokes of his pencil, and in another several minutes he finished the last detail and looked over his work.

He'd drawn a scene full of action and emotion, the clash of good and evil in the skies above Atmosia.

Skimmers and warships dotted the paper, with bursts of lightning and weapons fire accenting the space in between. The great shadow of Terra Cyclonia in flight was visible in the background, and the small figures of he and his friends had weapons raised together in anticipation of battle.

One would think such a memory would be undesirable, but in Aerrow's case he wanted a reminder; something to call to mind their courage and their victory in the face of near-impossible odds. It gave him some encouragement when he found himself in similar situations. Like right now.

He smiled slightly, pleased at the outcome of his drawing, and set the pad and pencil aside.

...

Finn and Junko burst into the diner, startling the people seated inside, and rushed to the counter in record time.

A surprised employee came over. "Uh, can I help you?" she asked.

Junko glanced at the menu on the wall above her and said, "Um, yes, can I get two of the super-ultra-sized triple Sky Burgers with super-ultra-sized fries?"

The lady raised her eyebrows, nodded, and wrote down his order. Junko looked over his shoulder. "What do you want, Finn?"

The woman looked up, amazed and a bit disgusted. Finn stepped up, flashing the employee a wink and a smile. "Ah, yeah, I'll take the same," he told her.

She wrote down his order as well. "Just a second, please," she said, sounding as if she was trying very hard not to judge her two customers outrageously, and disappeared through the swinging door to the kitchen.

Piper walked in then and joined the boys at the counter. "I hope you haven't bought the place out," she said wryly.

"Oh, no, of course not. We just got two of those," assured Junko, pointing to the menu.

"Two total, or two each?" Piper asked, dreading the answer.

"Two each," Finn replied with a grin.

Piper's jaw dropped. "Guys! Super-ultra-sized triple burgers? If you don't explode, you'll be sick for a week!" she exclaimed.

Finn shook his head. "No way. Junko and I can handle anything. And we haven't eaten since, like, yesterday."

Piper scoffed in exasperation. "When you start barfing all over the ship, don't say I didn't warn you," she retorted.

Junko smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

A second later the employee woman returned, carrying a pair of loaded trays. She set them on the counter with a grunt of effort, saw Piper, and looked fearful. "You don't want anything too, do you?" she asked.

Piper saw the girl's expression and laughed. She shook her head. "No, thanks. I think they can share." She ignored Finn and Junko's scandalized looks.

The woman sighed in relief. "That'll be fifty-two thirty-five, then."

Junko and Finn's eyes widened. "Uh, well, you see..." Junko began, but Piper sighed and pushed past him, digging in her pocket. She came up with a handful of the clear crystal shards used for currency and laid them of the counter. "Is that enough?" she asked.

The employee counted quickly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Then she looked up at Finn and Junko and chuckled wonderingly. "You guys be careful, now. Those burgers aren't for the faint of stomach."

Finn grinned. "Don't worry. We're as tough as they come. Chicka-chah." He let himself think that the girl blushed in response.

Piper sighed and thanked the flustered lady, then the boys took their trays and the Storm Hawks sat down at a booth.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you guys," Piper sighed, a touch of humor in her tone.

Junko shrugged helplessly. "Sorry! I was hungry!"

Finn offered, "Is it because we're funny and cute and wickedly handsome?"

Piper laughed and rolled her eyes. "That must be it." The guys grinned at one another and dug into their giant burgers.

Piper looked around the diner, as she hadn't had the opportunity walking in. The walls were clean and white and mostly occupied by windows. Bright lamps with green shades hung from the ceiling, the booths were comfortable and a matching green color, and the room was spacious, though only a few customers sat at the tables.

She looked around at the people; about the same as they'd seen outside, mostly stocky sailors, a few others.

Wait.

One man looked familiar. She couldn't place him, but something nagged at the back of her mind, an answer infuriatingly out of reach.

Piper squinted across the room at him.

He was a broad-shouldered, handsome man, his dual-colored hair longer and more unkempt then she thought it should be, his short dark goatee grown into a beard...

Suddenly Piper remembered.

She'd seen this man once before, read about him in a number of books, and heard about his acts of heroism and his tragic death, when he was thrown from the edge of Terra Mesa by Repton himself.

But...that was impossible. He was dead.

It was unmistakable, though. "Guys," Piper whispered, and Junko and Finn stopped eating momentarily, "that's Hunter—

"—of the Interceptors."


	8. Hunter

Junko swallowed his mouthful of food. "The Interceptors?" he echoed, disbelieving.

"Starling's squadron?" Finn clarified. Piper nodded. "But they're—they're gone!" the marksman exclaimed.

She shrugged helplessly. "Well, I thought so too, but, I mean, that's him!"

"How'd he get to the Far Side?" Junko asked.

Piper shrugged again, harder. "I don't know! I need to talk to him." She started to stand, but Finn stopped her. "What if it isn't him? Or what if he's working with Cyclonis?" he asked nervously.

Piper answered determinedly, "Then you guys can come rescue me. I have to at least try." She pulled away and crossed the room to the man's table.

He knew she was there, but he kept his head bent over his food. Piper sat in the chair across from him and waited until he looked up. His eyes were duller than they'd been when she saw him all those years ago, and lines of stress and anger had carved themselves between his brows and around his mouth, but he was still Hunter.

He had to be.

"What?" he asked roughly. He had a faint English accent, and despite his rugged appearance his voice was young and smooth.

Piper's brows drew together, "Hunter?"

She saw a flicker deep in his gray eyes, and he searched her face intently before replying, "...Yes. Who are you? If you're working with Repton, I'll kill you."

Piper sighed with relief. "I'm Piper, of the Storm Hawks." At his bemused look she added, "The new ones. We reformed the old squadron. Unofficially, I mean, because the Council thought we're too young to be a real Sky Knight squadron. Anyway, Repton is dead."

Hunter nodded slowly. "What of the others?" he asked.

"The other...?"

"Interceptors. We were under attack when I was thrown from the terra. Corbin was gone, but the others were still fighting. Did they survive?" Hunter gripped the edge of the table intently.

"Starling survived," Piper answered softly. "We thought she was the only one, but...apparently not."

Hunter sighed, partly out of relief and partly sorrow. "Starling..." he echoed, "our Sky Knight. She was always the strongest of us. How is she faring?"

Piper shrugged and looked out the wide window, "She's a loner. She's distanced herself from everyone else, says she doesn't need friends. Either way, she's a friend to us, and she's been a great ally in the war."

Hunter looked down at his hands. "Sounds like her. What war?"

Piper told him, "The war against the Cyclonians and Master Cyclonis. Things haven't changed much. We defeated her, but she fled through the door to the Far Side. We followed her in—the Storm Hawks, I mean."

He nodded. "This is the Far Side, then. I sort of suspected. You know of the Endless Tunnels?"

Piper nodded this time, and Hunter went on, "When I was thrown from Terra Mesa, I fell quite a ways, but I survived. Barely, granted, but I survived. I healed myself with the crystals I had with me—it took me days—and then I went in search of water. I tried to climb the side of the terra, but I couldn't.

Finn and Junko came and joined them silently, slipping into the other two seats at the table.

"I wandered the Wastelands for another day or so, my condition getting worse by the hour. I stumbled onto a cave then, a massive one. An entrance to the Endless Tunnels. It was partly filled with water, so I followed it. What else could I do?" Hunter shook his head, eyes empty and dead. It looked wrong on him. "It led far down. Deep down. Some areas were completely submerged, and there were twists and turns and forks in the path, and I followed it for a long time before I came out another cave. I didn't know where I was. A mountain somewhere. I left the cave and came across a city, found some food there and borrowed a Speeder—I mean, a Skimmer—and I searched tirelessly for a way back to Atmos. The caves had been too treacherous for me to risk another trip, so I looked for other ways. I haven't found any yet."

"Dude..." Finn reflected lowly.

Piper felt terrible pity for this man, lost and stranded alone in another world, and she said, "There is a way back. I think we can reopen the Door if we get the...the key. If there still is one. Until then, you can stay with us. We have a ship docked there." She pointed out the window.

Hunter's eyes flared bright. "I would be honored. If there is any chance to return to Atmos, I will take it."

Piper nodded. "Good. Right now we're still hunting Cyclonis. We were sent down here to gather information from anyone who might know where she is."

"Yeah, and find a way to get the critter out of Aerrow," Junko added.

Hunter raised his eyebrows. "I'll see what I can do to help." He stood up then, and the Storm Hawks followed him out of the diner. Piper glanced over at their table and saw Finn and Junko's plates cleared. She looked at Finn as they stepped out into the dusty street.

"Did you eat all that?" she demanded. Finn only grinned, and Piper rolled her eyes.

Hunter stopped in the center of the road and the Storm Hawks gathered around. "Like I went over earlier," Piper said, looking to the boys, "You two are going to ask around about Cyclonis. I'm going to look for a map. Hunter...actually, I need to ask you about something."

Finn and Junko gave her a nod and left, cornering some random man and beginning to interrogate him.

Piper sighed and looked back to Hunter. "Have you heard of the Forbidden Crystals of Terra Dolos?" she asked.

Hunter nodded slowly. "I have read of them."

"Do you know what they do?" Piper pressed on.

"Most accounts say that the creature within each crystal can inhabit a person and control them when commanded to do so through the Forbidden Tablet," Hunter answered.

Piper froze. The blood drained from her face suddenly, and she nearly fell.

Hunter grabbed her shoulders and steadied her. "Piper?" His warm voice was comforting somehow.

She blinked and took a breath, and he let her go. "Aerrow said he saw a—a ghost-like snake thing fly into him, from the crystal," she said, looking up to Hunter with fear in her eyes.

The Interceptor set his jaw grimly. "We will free him. We need to find the Forbidden Tablet and destroy it. Without the Tablet, the crystal beast will have no reason to inhabit your friend, and it will leave."

Piper nodded. "You're sure?" she asked.

Hunter tilted his head. "Fairly."

Piper hugged herself. "That'll have to do. I think I know where the Tablet is, too."

Hunter's eyebrows twitched upward. "Really?"

She nodded and drew in a deep breath. "Master Cyclonis has it."

Hunter sighed. Piper went on, "She has to. That's why she wanted all those crystals, so she could control her enemies with them. And now Aerrow has one of those things in him...he could tear apart the ship! We've got to get back!"

Hunter nodded curtly. "You go and take care of your friend. I'll find a map and meet you at your ship."

Immediately Piper took off running toward the Condor, calling over her shoulder, "Good luck!"

Hunter nodded again once with a slight smile and headed off in the other direction.

...

At first Aerrow felt a slight tingling in his fingers. The sensation quickly grew to stinging pinpricks traveling up his arms.

Soon it flared into a burning, spreading through his chest and on to the rest of his body.

He didn't have time to react or call for help, only crumple to the metal floor of his quarters in pain and try to retain consciousness.

He breathed hard through clenched teeth, eyes shut tightly, trying to stand the fiery pain flooding his senses with his forehead pressed to the ground.

He managed a strangled groan and lay there helpless, black beginning to seep into his vision.

Slow seconds passed.

Then Aerrow felt the pain recede all at once, and with it went all control over his body. Aerrow felt himself stand.

He hadn't tried to stand. His body was acting without him.

He was trapped in his own mind, seeing the world through eyes that he couldn't control, and there was nothing he could do.

Aerrow—no, not Aerrow, but whatever was in control of his body—went to the window. His own face was reflected in the glass, but somehow it looked wrong.

Mouth set in a hard line, eyes empty of emotion and with irises blood-red, brows drawn together in something like anger. It wasn't him. Aerrow didn't like it at all.

He stepped away from the window and went to the door, threw the bolt, and stepped into the hall as the door slid open automatically. He headed for the bridge.

...

The crystal beast had been called to action. It had felt the pain of the Crystal Tablet pulling at its mind, telling it what to do, and had done as told.

The creature had reluctantly climbed up into its host's head, curled up in his brain, and was manipulating the boy's actions through his weak human mind. The beast was hardly met with a challenge.

The tickling of the Crystal Tablet's influence remained in its own mind, and it would continue to nag until the Tablet's master stopped using it. Commands were sent directly from the Tablet to the creature and it obeyed, guiding the human wherever the Tablet master wished.

Right now, its mission was to destroy the unsuspecting beings on the ship's bridge: Stork and Radarr, two of the Storm Hawks.

...

Piper sprinted to her heliscooter, red dust clouds billowing behind her as she ran, hopped into the seat and fired the engine. She brought the bike around, throwing up a rooster tail of dust, and sped off toward the Condor's sky dock.

Cyclonis could take control of Aerrow whenever she wanted. She already could have. He could be destroying the ship right now as she rode to stop him!

This was very bad.

She had to reach the Condor and warn the others before it was too late.

What if it already was? Aerrow could have been compromised while they were away and had attacked the others.

Piper shook her head and gunned the engine even further, pushing such thoughts away. Right now she had to focus on the task at hand. Get to the ship.

She reached the dock within moments, sped down the pier and up the Condor's ramp into the hangar. She parked her Skimmer with a screech of tires and gripped her staff, running to the door and waiting as it slid open.

Then she stepped through into the corridor, wound her way through the maze of hallways at top speed, and burst onto the bridge.

Just as she'd feared, Aerrow was already there.

***


	9. Adara

When Piper leaped onto the bridge, she was met with a fearful sight.

Aerrow stood in the middle of the room, standing threateningly over a cowering Stork. When he whirled to face her his eyes were a deep red, glaring murderously at her with no trace of the Sky Knight she knew.

Radarr was in a furry blue heap against one wall, lying motionless.

Piper's hand went to her mouth.

Aerrow stepped away from Stork, who whimpered, and moved toward Piper. She backed against the door, which suddenly seemed unable to open, and raised her staff.

"Aerrow, you need to snap out of it. Cyclonis has the Crystal Tablet, it's controlling that little snake-monster inside of you. You can fight it. You have to! Take control! Aerrow!" Piper cried, growing more desperate as he neared.

His blood-red gaze was locked with hers, but her words seemed to have no effect.

Piper drew in a deep, steadying breath and jumped at him, swinging her staff with a slight hesitance that under other circumstances could have cost her the fight.

Aerrow dodged with superhuman speed, and Piper swung again. When he dodged this time she dropped low and swept his feet from under him.

Aerrow fell, rolled, and sprang back up to block her next strike. Then he lashed out on the offensive, sending a kick at Piper's stomach, but she cartwheeled back and avoided it.

He kept pressing forward, firing punches at her head, and Piper did her best to avoid his assault. Several hits landed regardless, and she was forced to one knee, crying out in pain as his metal-backed fist connected with her temple.

Her staff clattered to the metal floor as she raised her arms protectively over her head. Aerrow took advantage and kicked her ruthlessly in the ribs, sending Piper gasping against the wall. "Aerrow..." she coughed.

Aerrow just chuckled evilly. He knelt before her and pinned her shoulders against the wall. He spoke, in Aerrow's own voice but Master Cyclonis' words, "You don't stand a chance, Piper, my friend. Your feelings are getting in the way of your fighting. Or, maybe...you're just that helpless."

Aerrow's gloved hand crept to her throat and tightened viciously. Piper choked and grasped at his wrist uselessly. "Aerrow, please..."

He grinned and raised his fist in response.

Piper flinched, but the blow never came.

The weight was suddenly lifted from her throat, and she drew in a desperate breath and looked up. Stork had come flying across the room and tackled Aerrow from her, now yelling maniacally and slapping at him with little effect.

"Stork!" Piper called, and rose to her feet as Stork was thrown back with a squeal.

Aerrow started to push himself up, but Piper grabbed her staff and clocked him in the head before he could stand. He slumped back onto his face, unconscious, and Piper came and knelt beside him.

"Sorry," she whispered as Stork came up to join her by his side.

"Care to explain...this?" he ventured, pointing nervously to the Sky Knight on the floor.

Piper swallowed painfully. "The crystal snake that attacked him is being controlled by Master Cyclonis. It can...possess him, I guess you could say."

Stork shivered. "I knew it."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Hopefully when he wakes up he'll be back to normal."

"Or he could be still possessed—and angry," Stork countered.

She sighed, "Let's hope not." Then Piper looked over her shoulder, brows drawing together. "Is Radarr...?"

Stork waved a hand dismissively, "He's fine. Aerrow punched him across the room. It was kind of...funny, actually." He smiled slightly.

Piper scolded, "Stork!"

The Merb shrugged apologetically. Then Aerrow let out a groan.

Piper's hand went to her staff. Stork squeaked and recoiled. The Sky Knight raised his head, rolling onto his side. He looked up at his teammates with emerald green eyes.

"Guys," he said immediately, "I'm sorry. I was trying to fight. That—that thing is just too strong. I can't control it. We need to find somewhere—"

"What we need," Piper cut in, eyes shining, "is to find Master Cyclonis and destroy that tablet before she can take control of you again."

"That would be nice," Stork mused.

"I don't want to have to...whack you in the head again," Piper added awkwardly.

Aerrow smiled. "Yeah, me neither. But we still don't know where Cyclonis actually is."

Piper looked away for a moment. "I know. But we'll find her. Oh—" she looked back at Aerrow, remembering "—on the surface, we met someone. A friend. Hunter."

Aerrow's brows drew together as he sat up with Piper's help. "Hunter?" he echoed.

She nodded. "Of the Interceptors."

"He's alive?" Aerrow exclaimed. "How? I thought the Raptors killed all the Interceptors."

Piper explained, "He survived the fall from Terra Mesa, healed himself with his crystals, and eventually found his way here through the Endless Tunnels."

"What if he's an impostor?" Stork pointed out nervously. "He could be a Cyclonian in disguise, trying to get on the ship and destroy us one by one."

She gave him a hard look. "He could also be the real Hunter and turn out to be the best ally we have in this place." 

Stork still looked unconvinced.

Aerrow, however, agreed, "She's right. We'll be careful, but an ally with Far Side knowledge is exactly what we need right now."

Stork sighed dramatically and didn't grace them with a response.

Piper helped Aerrow stand. "Right now Hunter and the guys are asking around about Cyclonis. Hopefully they'll find something," she told him. Aerrow nodded once in acknowledgement.

...

Hunter was currently standing across from the terra's mapmaker at a rough wooden counter. His forearms rested on the wood, bearing his weight as he leaned over with urgency. The woman on the other side of the counter was being maddeningly difficult (and flirtatious), whether intentionally or not he wasn't sure.

He'd only asked for a recent, inexpensive map of the known Far Side. He hadn't called it that, of course, for she wouldn't have known what he was talking about, but regardless she seemed intent on irritating him to no end with roundabout answers and excuses and really disturbing compliments.

For the hundredth time Hunter sighed, then demanded, "Do you even _have_ a map of this place?"

The redheaded young woman crossed her arms and pursed her full lips, seeming offended. Giving him the first straight answer since he'd arrived, she said, "Of course I do."

Hunter growled, patience worn thin a long time ago. "Then how much does it cost?"

Immediately he regretted asking.

A glint of mischief flashed in the lady's light eyes, and she pretended to consider a moment. Then she answered playfully, "A kiss."

Hunter scowled even deeper. "No. Give me a real price and I can pay."

She shrugged and leaned against the counter. Hunter straightened to keep his distance, and she said, "Do you want the map or not?"

He sighed and frowned, debating internally. His friends needed the map, but he absolutely refused to kiss anyone he:

a) didn't know

b) didn't trust

c) had been arguing pointlessly with for the past twenty minutes.

He had to get the map. But, he figured, they could always find another source. He sighed again, turned away from the counter, and said, "I guess I don't." He started to walk away.

Then the woman said quietly, in a very different tone, "Good."

Hunter turned back, confused, and the redhead beckoned him back to the counter.

He stepped over cautiously and she leaned close, coppery hair a curtain shielding her words from the outside world. "I'm sorry for the trouble. I had to make sure you're trustworthy. Follow me."

_Odd way of doing it,_ thought Hunter, but his gray eyes met her pale ones and he nodded once. She pulled away from him and pushed through the door behind her. Hunter followed.

Beyond the door was a long room lined with shelves, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, all filled with maps. They were rolled into neat cylinders and tied with wire, stacked on top of one another in mountains of grayish paper. When Hunter entered, he stood in awe of the sheer number of them for a second before he looked to the redheaded girl.

"Did you make all of these?" he inquired.

She shrugged. "Most. There are some I traded for, some I found, some have been in my family for generations. There's a variety. Now, before I let you buy my map, tell me your name."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Lukas," he lied.

"You're lying. What's your real name?"

"Finch."

"I'll give you one more chance."

"My name's Hunter."

"That's better. Next question. Why are you carrying a collapsible bow? Planning on ambushing someone?"

"None of your business."

"Incorrect."

"I used to be part of a Sky Knight squadron. Carrying a weapon is standard protocol. And bows are cool."

The girl smiled slightly at that. Then, "What's a Sky Knight?"

Hunter hesitated. After a second he answered, "Where I come from, there are squadrons of warriors that have formed to protect their terras from danger. Sky Knights lead these squadrons. They're highly trained fighters and extraordinarily honorable men and women."

"Are you a Sky Knight?"

"No."

The redhead nodded slowly. "Where exactly are you from, Mr. Hunter?"

"The other side of the world."

"Amazing," she breathed. "I have read of the Other Side of Atmos. I knew it wasn't just a myth."

"How do you know I'm telling the truth?"

"I just do."

"But I lied about my name."

"And I knew you were lying, didn't I? This time you aren't."

Hunter crossed his arms. "You are quite an interesting young lady."

"I'm assuming that's a compliment. Thank you, sir."

Hunter chuckled. "Sure. Now can I buy my map?"

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not finished interrogating you."

"But you've already decided I'm trustworthy, haven't you?"

"Yes. Why is your hair different colors?"

Hunter sighed. "It just is."

"But it's purple. And black."

"So?"

"That's not normal."

"Fine. Anything else?"

"How long have you been stranded here?"

Hunter sobered. "Stranded..."

"Yes. You don't belong here. You look older than you are. I can tell. So, how long?"

"Almost four years."

The redhead spoke quietly, "I'm sorry."

Hunter shrugged. "I've found some friends that may be able to get me back home."

"Can I come?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't like it here."

"And why not?"

"Reasons of my own." She changed topics quickly, "Do you own a Speeder?"

"No. I used to own a Skimmer. That's what we call them."

"What do you think of dragons?"

"Dragons are extinct."

"Only where you come from. You've seen the towers, haven't you? They're guarded by dragons."

"Oh."

"What happened to the rest of your Sky Knight squadron?"

Hunter looked away. "They're all dead. Except Starling."

The redhead spoke softly, "What happened?"

He waited a moment before answering. "We were ambushed by the Raptors. They're rogues, vicious and willing to work for whoever pays them the most. We weren't prepared."

"How did you survive?"

"I was thrown from the edge of the terra, and I lived. I was the team's crystal expert as well as the ranged fighter, so I improvised with what I had and healed myself."

"Amazing..." her light eyes grew wide in admiration.

Hunter frowned. "Not really."

"Who is Starling?"

"She's my...well, she _was_ our Sky Knight. I guess not anymore, since the squadron is gone, but she used to be."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"What?"

"She was more to you than just a leader, Mr. Hunter."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Did you love her?"

"I was hardly sixteen!"

"You didn't answer my question."

Hunter glared, clenched his jaw, glanced away, and then said, "I don't know."

The redhead studied his face. "Okay." She turned and stepped between two shelves, rifled through a pile of papers, and came up with a single map. She came back to Hunter and handed it to him. "Here is your map, sir. Pleasure doing business with you," she said simply.

He frowned. "Don't I have to pay?"

The redhead shrugged, "You already have, in a way. It's been awhile since I met someone as honorable as you. Or as interesting. Good luck getting home, Mr. Hunter." She started to disappear into the maze of shelves.

Hunter called after her, "Hey, wait. What's your name?"

"Marie."

"You're lying."

"And you're learning. My name is Adara."

"Thank you for your help, then, Adara."

"Anytime." And she was gone from sight.

***


	10. Tension

Mere minutes after Hunter left Adara's shop, he and the Storm Hawks were back on the Condor and holding a meeting. The seven of them stood around the round table on the bridge, Stork as far from Hunter as possible, and Aerrow was speaking.

"Alright. Did anybody find some useful information?" he asked.

"I got a map," Hunter offered, spreading it over the table. Aerrow nodded once and looked to the boys.

Junko said, "Uh, we found some people that said they saw Cyclonians flying over the terra earlier."

"Yeah," Finn put in, "and some super-hot chicks who were totally into me. I could've sworn I've seen one of them before, though..."

"Anyway," Aerrow interrupted. "Good job, guys. Which way were they flying?"

"North," said Junko with a triumphant grin.

"Alright. Stork, take us north. Hunter, if you would, you and Piper help him out with that map."

Hunter and the Storm Hawks he'd addressed nodded and did as told, and Aerrow directed, "Be on the lookout for any signs of Cyclonian activity."

...

Half an hour later, Stork's wavering voice came from the helm. "Uh, does this count as Cyclonian activity?" He pointed nervously out the front windows. Everyone looked up and followed the line of his slender green finger to the terra they were approaching.

There, the surface seemed to writhe and move on its own, so completely covered was it by vehicles and people dressed in the red and dark green of Cyclonia.

Twin cruisers, deep red and ribbed with silver supports, were tethered next to each other at a jagged sky dock protruding from the dark terra's face. Talons and Nightcrawler warriors milled over the black stone land, carrying out orders, surely, from Master Cyclonis herself.

In the center of it all stood a tower, its sides crumbling, once tall and regal but now decrepit and scarred by time and war. Its every surface was rock as black as the night, highlighted with veins of lava red and pocked with cracks and ugly dents.

A lone dragon circled above, a sole protector, endlessly carving its rounds in the sky above the structure, and weak light shone from the lowest levels of the tower where Cyclonians were taking shelter. Flame licked across the ground in the distance seemingly at random.

The scene was remarkably depressing on more than one level, and the Storm Hawks each felt a chill creep up their spine as they looked upon it.

"Whoa..." Finn was the first to speak.

"Uh, yeah, definitely Cyclonians," Junko confirmed.

Aerrow stepped up to the window, expression determined. "Let's go take down Cyclonis." he said. A hint of a smile pulled at his lips.

Piper's brows drew together with worry. Take down? They were only here to take her into custody. That's what Aerrow had meant to say, probably. Pipe shook her head to clear it and joined him at the window, and Aerrow turned his gaze to her.

"I'll bet Master Cyclonis is in the tower. We need a plan to get in there, get her, and get out. I'll let you work out the details," he said shortly, and stepped away to the center table.

Aerrow rested his fists on the tabletop and addressed his team: "Stork, I want you to stay here with Piper, Radarr and Hunter and keep the Condor ready to fly in case of trouble. Junko, Finn, you're with me. As soon as Piper's got a plan we'll have a briefing and take flight. Got it?"

The Storm Hawks nodded in return, Radarr leaping up onto Aerrow's shoulder with a pleased chirp.

"Aerrow, you're still unstable," Piper pointed out then. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"It doesn't matter whether I'm sure. Cyclonis has to be brought to justice," he replied, straightening up.

"But what if you lose control in the middle of the mission and blow your cover? That place is crawling with Cyclonians. They'd have you captured in a second!" Piper cried, taking an emphatic step forward.

Finn and Junko, sensing trouble, shrank away from their teammates. Stork was already standing a bit more nervously than usual by the helm. Radarr whined and jumped over to Junko's shoulder, where it was safer.

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Aerrow countered.

"But it isn't! Stay here and Stork and Hunter can keep an eye on you. I'll go instead. Everything is riding on this mission, Aerrow. You can't risk compromising us." Piper gestured with one hand as she spoke.

"This is personal, Piper! I have to go." Aerrow stepped forward, upset.

"At least let me come with you, then."

"No. I don't want something bad happening to you, again, because of me. I'm going."

"You can't. Not alone." Piper crossed her arms with finality. "I won't let you."

"You can't do that! I'm in charge here!"

"I still have authority."

"No, you don't! You're just the navigator, Piper. That's all! You have no authority!" Aerrow closed the distance between them, looking down on Piper only inches away as he spoke. His face was flushed with irritation. The boys gasped, and he ignored them.

"'Just the navigator'?" Piper's voice grew dangerously soft. Her eyes met his, and Aerrow could see deep hurt and anger reflected in their amber depths. He knew he'd just made a big mistake. He wished he could just snatch back his words from the air, but what was said was said and he couldn't change it. He tried to apologize:

"Well, no, I didn't mean—you're not just—Piper, come on, that's not what I meant."

The rest of the team stood stock-still, not wanting to interrupt. Hunter looked quite uneasy, as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.

Piper just held Aerrow's gaze for a long time, staring coldly into his regretful emerald eyes. She could see his desperate apology written all over his face, but all she felt was emptiness and hurt.

Just the navigator.

She'd spent years with Aerrow, gone through so much, conquered impossible challenges, grown to love him dearly, and he thought of her as nothing more than 'the navigator.' That really and truly disappointed her so, so much. She felt tears come to her eyes and scolded herself for acting so ridiculous. He was just a stupid teenage boy, she tried to convince herself. A kind, bright, caring, funny, strong, handsome, _stupid_ boy.

She knew it was useless, though. He had no excuses.

Piper held his gaze a heartbeat longer, then whispered, "I'll have your plans ready in an hour." And she turned and stalked from the bridge. Aerrow was left standing guiltily in the middle of the room.

The tension lingered, and then Finn said, "Dude, you really goofed this time."

Aerrow sighed heavily and ran both hands through his hair. "I know," he answered miserably.

"Shouldn't you go talk to her?" Junko asked weakly.

Aerrow shook his head. "Leave her alone for awhile. She needs space," he said.

Hunter opened his mouth to say something, changed his mind, and perched on the edge of the center table, arms crossed. He blew a long strand of violet hair out of his eyes—a motion once not necessary, but since that fateful day when the Raptors attacked, his whole appearance had become messy and rugged and overgrown. He understood why Stork was wary of him; he looked like a ruffian. The others hadn't trusted him with anything weightier than a map, yet, either.

Perhaps this was the prime time to speak up and give them reason to do so, he thought abruptly. If the navigator wanted somebody to keep an eye on the Sky Knight, there was always him. Who else was there? Hunter really doubted that Piper would leave the fate of Atmos in the hands of the Wallop and the squirrelly kid.

She seemed to trust them, though. Hunter decided to let the matter rest this time. The Storm Hawks didn't need a newcomer encroaching on their mission right now. At the moment, there wasn't much to do but wait. Aerrow was ordering Finn and Junko, "Prepare to fly, guys. We've got to be ready to go as soon as possible."

The slouchy Merb and the blue lemur-rabbit creature took seats near the control board. Hunter stayed where he was as the boys left the bridge for the hangar bay. Then Aerrow glanced at each of them before he said, "Stay here. Radarr, Stork, keep an eye on him." He jerked a thumb toward Hunter, who tried not to be offended. Aerrow then followed Finn and Junko out.

As soon as the door slid shut, Stork looked to Hunter, eye twitching. "Are you working for Master Cyclonis? Here to infiltrate our team and tear us apart from the inside? Hmm?"

Hunter frowned. "No."

"Then...are you really a shapeshifting crystal monster who's here to kill us all?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"I still don't trust you." Stork crossed his arms and perched on the edge of the control board, keeping a narrow-eyed stare on Hunter, who just sighed.

...

Piper sat at her desk in her room, staring at the sheet of gray paper in front of her. She was having trouble coming up with a really solid plan, not to mention warring emotionally over Aerrow's insensitive outburst. She couldn't focus.

What was there to plan, anyway? The guys had to go in, capture Cyclonis, and get out. That was it.

Piper crossed her arms and sat back in her creaky metal chair. They didn't need a plan. They didn't need her. She remembered the time she'd pretended to leave them, then spied on them to gauge their reactions. What if she left for real this time? Aerrow would never forgive himself, she knew.

Or wouldn't he?

Piper sighed and buried her head in her arms.

Who cared? She was _just the navigator_ , after all.

Another part of her mind spoke up then. Aerrow had been upset. He wasn't thinking about what he was saying. He probably hadn't meant it in an offensive way, he was just irritated. Piper was completely overreacting. She'd made a big deal out of nothing, and now everyone was upset.

She sighed again, but this time more relieved than despairing. She would apologize to Aerrow when she saw him next. They'd iron out this whole stupid issue and go on like they'd always had: a near-perfect team. That was a better plan than going on with terrible friction between them. Piper nodded to herself and bent over the paper again, determined.

...

For the next hour, Aerrow cleaned and repaired his Skimmer and his energy daggers, sitting against the wall of the hangar bay while Finn and Junko prepared similarly across the room.

They left him alone with his tumultuous thoughts and the pit in his stomach, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than his harsh words earlier. As soon as he'd shouted at Piper he'd regretted it. He hadn't meant the statement in such a way, but it had come across all wrong and wounded his relationship with the most reliable member of his team.

He needed to smooth things over before he left, Aerrow knew, or he'd have a heck of a time trying to concentrate with such a burden on his mind. He pulled his Timepulse indicator from his pocket and checked the time. Nearly an hour had passed already. Piper would be delivering her plans momentarily, and then he and the boys would be off. He had to do something now.

Aerrow drew in a deep breath, sighed, and pushed himself up from his seat on the floor. "I'll be right back," he told Finn and Junko, who looked up curiously and nodded. Aerrow sheathed his newly polished daggers and left the hangar bay through the single sliding metal door. He started off through the maze of corridors toward Piper's quarters.

...

Piper stood, rolled up the sheet of paper with her freshly inked plans, and stepped out into the hall heading for the hangar bay. She checked her Timepulse indicator crystal. Right on time.

...

Aerrow and Piper strode through the ship, heading in opposite directions, each with unease on their minds and apologies ready on their lips. They rounded corners, walked corridors, and turned around the final bend at the exact same time, colliding with one another with a startled yelp on Piper's part and a move toward twin daggers on Aerrow's.

When they took a heartbeat to assess the situation they both calmed. Aerrow let out a sigh and let his hands drop from his dagger handles. Piper straightened from her defensive stance cleared her throat.

"Sorry," she said weakly.

"Uh, no, that's okay." Aerrow shrugged.

Then they met each other's eyes, amber to green, and unsaid words and emotion passed between them. Both Storm Hawks had deep apology written over their features. Aerrow was the first to speak.

"Piper, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you, and what I said was uncalled for, and I really didn't mean it the way you think. I didn't. You're so much more to me than just a navigator."

Piper's eyes shined with emotion. "I know you didn't. I'm sorry too, Aerrow. I overreacted. A lot. This is my fault."

"It's not, Piper, really. I think we've got to share the blame on this one." He smiled hesitantly.

Piper felt a smile of her own start to spread, and she burst into relieved laughter. For some reason tears filled her eyes. Aerrow stepped up to her and embraced her tightly. She hugged him back, enjoying the relief and happiness flooding through her and the simple feeling of Aerrow's arms around her. They stayed that way for a time, neither really wanting to end the moment of warmth and security they shared.

Finally, though, Aerrow pulled away, his hands still at Piper's shoulders, and said, "I should get back to the hangar. It's almost time to go. Do you have your plans ready?"

Piper sighed, a bit disappointed. She felt a strange desire to stay with Aerrow here, together, with nobody bothering them, but she knew it was a silly thing to long for.

She answered, "Yes." She held up the rolled paper still in her hand, slightly crumpled where she'd been holding it tightly. She half-smiled, embarrassed. "Here."

His hands fell from her shoulders as he took it from her, and he nodded without unrolling the paper. Piper noticed he didn't double-check her plans, and a warm feeling of gratitude bloomed in her. It was a small sign of his trust in her, she knew, and she appreciated it.

"Thanks," Aerrow said, then paused. "You know, I guess you can come if you want. I'd rather you not, but, I mean...if you need to keep an eye on me...I—I mean my condition." He sighed, frustrated at his awkwardness. "If you need to make sure I don't lose control, I won't stop you. That's what I meant."

Piper laughed, "I know what you meant, and...I'll stay here. You said before, you don't want anything bad happening, so I—I'll trust you on this one. And I'll trust Junko and Finn to make sure you don't get killed."

Aerrow held her gaze for a moment, unsure. Then he nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Piper." He glanced behind him, down the corridor. "Now come on, we've got to get going. The Cyclonians on the surface may have spotted us already. We need to move fast."

They took off toward the hangar.

...


	11. Surprise Attack

When Aerrow and Piper reached the hangar, Junko and Finn were already sitting astride their vehicles, ready to ride.

"It's about time, dude," Finn whined.

Aerrow grunted in lieu of a response and hit the big red button next to the door. The bay doors groaned open at the command, and Junko laughed, "Yeah-hah!"

Aerrow moved toward his Skimmer and climbed on, the light frame bending slightly beneath his weight. He fired the engine, and a throaty roar blasted from his vehicle. A rhythmic vibration rumbled into his body from the machine, and Aerrow grinned. He always loved the sensation of riding his Skimmer, on the ground or in the air. Today was no exception.

The boys started their motorcycles as well, and the hangar bay rang with the sound of the three noisy engines. The Storm Hawks exchanged a glance, Aerrow nodded, and Finn and Junko sped into the air. A split second after their Skimmers' tires left the ground, distinct X-shaped wings snapped out with metallic clicks and the vehicles swooped up gracefully.

Aerrow didn't leave just yet. He turned in his seat to look over at Piper. She moved to his side and said firmly, "You'd better make it back, Sky Knight—with Cyclonis."

She held his gaze for a heartbeat, hesitated, and then leaned in and kissed him gently. Aerrow's gut twisted and he gasped against her lips, startled. He felt her fingers trace along his jaw with a slight hesitance and an electric chill ran down his spine. He felt his own hand rise to hers, and he leaned in a fraction closer. He heard Piper sigh softly. Then she pulled away, a deep blush dusting her cheeks and her midnight blue bangs brushing his face lightly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," she said, and turned away, but Aerrow caught her hand.

"It's all right," he replied gently, his own face heating up. She smiled weakly, and he gave her a lopsided grin. "I'll be fine. And I'm going to get Cyclonis. You stay safe, too, Piper." He prompted her with a nod, and she returned it.

Aerrow held her embarrassed gaze for a second, then let her hand go and gripped his Skimmer's handlebars. "I'll be back soon," he assured her. Then he settled back into his seat, gunned his Skimmer's engine, and took off with a joyful whoop. Once he'd joined Finn and Junko in the sky, the blond marksman gave Aerrow a mischievous grin.

"So, you and Piper, huh?" he teased.

Aerrow grunted and replied, "Oh, shut up."

Junko pulled up to Aerrow's other flank and laughed. Aerrow scowled with mock irritation. He knew the guys were just joking with him. He pulled ahead and addressed the team on a different subject, "Head on down, guys. Circle the tower, find a way in. I'll join you in a second." The boys nodded and took their Skimmers down closer to the surface, pulling into a tight turn around the dark tower.

Aerrow spread the paper with Piper's plans between his handlebars, the corners flapping wildly in the chill wind, and took his first look at it. Drawn in black ink was a representation of the tower and the surrounding land, with labels written and arrows drawn from one point to another. He read over the neatly printed notes, committed the drawings to memory as best as he could, and rolled the gray paper back up tightly. He then stored it in Radarr's cockpit behind him and gripped his handlebars, following Finn and Junko down to the tower.

Finn suddenly waved his arm to get their attention and pointed to a wide crack in the side of the tower. Aerrow nodded, understanding. He knew he could get his Skimmer through the foreboding crevice if he retracted his wings at the right moment. He wasn't so sure about the others.

Either way, he needed to act fast. On the surface he could see a stirring travel through the nearby Cyclonians, and a few fingers pointed upward at the shapes of the Storm Hawks' vehicles. Aerrow glanced over to where the Condor had been idling. To his relief, Stork had taken it out of view somewhere. He scanned the land nearby for any telltale signs of the carrier ship, but it had been hidden well. Aerrow nodded to himself, pleased at his team's work, and then looked to the boys.

He pulled his Skimmer out away from the tower and aligned it with the crack in the dark outer wall. He intended to launch through the gap and, according to the plan, travel through the inside of the tower to the base where the Cyclonians had set up shop. Finn and Junko saw what he was planning and moved to the sides out of his way. Aerrow steeled himself, narrowed his eyes with focus, and fired his engine.

His Skyride shot forward streaming cerulean flame from its afterburners, and Aerrow waited for the precise second to pull up on his clutch lever and snap in his Skimmer's wings. He cleared the gap with inches to spare and landed smoothly inside the tower. The stone floor of the higher level groaned and cracked under the unexpected weight. Aerrow guided his Skimmer carefully to one side, avoiding the widest cracks in the floor, and waited for the boys to enter the tower.

He reached behind him and pulled Piper's plans from his Skimmer's second cockpit, tucking them into his belt. Then Aerrow settled back in his seat and took a look around while he waited. Most of the room was pitch black, but toward the outer walls sickly orange light filtered through the crevices in the floor. The space was made of a lighter stone than the outside, more of a basalt gray than deep black, but it was still dark and imposing. Aerrow didn't like it one bit, but he could well imagine Master Cyclonis being right at home in this desolate place.

Aerrow heard a rumbling roar come from the outside, and a second later Finn and his Skimmer came shooting through the gap, barely missing the jagged edges. The marksman landed shakily and had to swerve to a stop to avoid losing his balance, but raised a fist over his head and bragged anyway, "Yeah-hah! Finn here, master pilot." Aerrow just rolled his eyes and kept his gaze on the gap, waiting for Junko. He didn't have to wait long.

He heard the Wallop gun his engine and a second later he came flying at the gap, clipping the rocky sides clumsily and spiraling into an uncontrolled tumble. Aerrow winced as his friend yelled and hit the rocky floor a split second before his Skimmer landed a few feet away and spun out onto its side, smoke trailing from its engine. Junko pushed himself up with a grunt and Finn asked him, "Dude, you okay?"

Junko straightened, shook his head to clear it, and laughed, "Yeah! That was fun."

Finn raised an eyebrow, incredulous. Aerrow spoke up, "Well, okay then, let's get moving."

He unrolled Piper's plans again and checked the next step. They had to get down to the lower floors, where the Cyclonians were. He looked back up to the boys.

"We've got to find a way down to the bottom floors. Stairs, ladders, giant holes in the floor, whatever works," he said, and Finn and Junko nodded. The three of them dismounted and spread out, searching the walls and the floor for a way down.

After a moment Finn called, "There's a trapdoor here, but it looks rusted shut."

The other two Storm Hawks joined him where he stood, surrounding the square metal door in the floor. It did indeed seem rusted shut, with reddish clumps gluing the sides of the door to its frame, and in addition it looked quite heavy. Aerrow and Finn looked to Junko, who grinned and held up his fists. His knuckle busters flashed silver. He clapped them together and they flared green, and with a shout Junko reached down and tore the metal door out of its frame, throwing it to the side with a resounding clatter.

Aerrow and Finn turned to him with wide eyes. "Shh!"

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!" He'd figured they'd already made so much noise coming in, there wasn't much else he could mess up.

Aerrow leaned over the opening and squinted down into the darkness. "I can't tell how far down it goes," he said.

Finn and Junko looked into the hole as well. "So what are we going to do?" Junko inquired.

Aerrow straightened and gave them a sly smile. Then he drew his daggers, activating them with a click and a blue flash, and he leapt into the dark doorway without a word. His teammates watched the bright glow of his daggers dim the farther Aerrow fell.

"Well, that works." Finn shrugged. Then they saw the blades' cyan light steady, and the boys heard their leader call back up, "Come on, guys. It's a bit of a drop, so be careful." Junko and Finn exchanged a fearful glance, sighed, and then dropped through the hole one after the other.

Finn landed first on one knee and Junko came tumbling after, crashing into his friend and sending the marksman to his face on the floor under the great weight. His crossbow clattered across the stone floor, and Finn groaned, "Ouch."

Junko laughed sheepishly and picked himself off of his blonde friend. "Sorry."

Finn sighed and pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. "Yeah," he grumbled, rubbing his sore head.

Aerrow stood by, looking awkward and a little worried. When both of his teammates brushed themselves off and looked to him, Aerrow nodded to himself and turned to peer around the room.

It was dark, but by the blue glow of his daggers he could see well enough. The floor and walls were the usual near-black stone, rubble lined the walls and lay scattered around on the ground, and hairline cracks ran under the Storm Hawks' feet and up the walls and ceiling. There, above them, was a jagged-edged hole where they'd dropped through, and another level above that was the trapdoor opening. A rusting iron door stood firmly at one wall, shut and secured with a padlock.

Overall, the place seemed about as safe and inviting as a sky shark's hunting grounds.

Aerrow looked back to Finn and Junko. "That door's the only exit, aside from where we just came from. Junko, think you can get it open?" he asked.

Junko grinned and knocked his knuckle busters together again. They flared green, and the Wallop moved over to the door, gripped its frame, and tore it from its hinges with a grunt of effort. He set it down gently this time, laying it carefully against the wall to one side.

Aerrow and Finn joined him at the door. "Nice job," Aerrow complimented, and they all stepped through the doorway. Aerrow held one dagger high for light as they descended a crooked, crumbling stone staircase that seemed to follow around the outside of the tower.

They walked on, trying not to trip on the jutting pieces of rock protruding from every other step. After circling the tower four times (Aerrow was keeping track of their position in his head), they reached relatively level ground and followed a dark hallway until their path ended at a second iron door, this one in much better condition than the one on the upper level.

Aerrow reached the door first and pressed his ear to it. He could hear voices on the other side, a few vaguely familiar, all definitely Cyclonian. He glanced at the boys and whispered, "Cyclonians." They nodded. Aerrow came away from the door and went on in a whisper, "You two keep them occupied while I scope out Cyclonis. Try not to get captured. I'll go around along the wall and slip by the Talons, then get Cyclonis and we'll run for it."

Finn held up a finger. "Is there an escape route? We can't really just use the front door, there's kind of an evil army out there..." he pointed out quietly.

Aerrow hesitated. He pulled the paper with the plans from his belt and unrolled it. Piper had drawn just such an escape route, or at least pointed out a few possible exits. There was a wide crack in the outer wall a few levels above them, a second ground-level door, a couple of windows near the top. None of the exits looked really promising, but they were better than nothing.

Aerrow passed the paper to Finn and Junko, and they read over it. Aerrow could tell by their expressions they were just as doubtful as he was. He sighed. The boys passed the plans back to him, and he rolled the sheet up and tucked it into his belt again.

"Just follow me if we get into a fix. Ready?" Aerrow whispered, his pulse quickening.

The boys nodded determinedly, Finn gripping his crossbow tight, Junko raising his fists to the ready. Aerrow set his jaw, turned to the door, and ordered, "Then let's go."

He slashed the door's lock with a glowing blade and kicked it open.


	12. Impossibility

When the three Storm Hawks burst through the door, the Cyclonians in the room beyond ground to a halt as a single organism, stunned into silence like a flock of sheep and just about as useless. Aerrow took advantage of their stupor and slipped into the shadows near the wall as Junko and Finn ran at the closest Talons, yelling wildly and drawing as much attention as possible.

Aerrow ran in a crouch around the perimeter of the room, sticking to the shadows and scanning the place over as he went. The walls and ceiling were much more sturdy than the ones on the upper levels, and the roof was twice as high. There must have been two hundred Cyclonians carrying metal crates to and from piles around the room, and many more standing guard at each destination. To the left of the door the Storm Hawks had entered through, against the wall, stood a raised stone platform with stairs leading up to it, similar to the dais the Far Side door was fixed to.

Then Aerrow stopped short, his expression darkening into a scowl. "Master Cyclonis," he whispered to himself. She stood at the peak of the dais, her crystal staff gripped in one slender hand, the lava-colored stone at its tip glowing and flashing tumultuously. She had a new cloak, and its spiky hood was unfurled about her narrow shoulders. Her back was turned to Aerrow and the Cyclonians. She was standing before a tall pillar of stone which, at its peak far above, was crested by an large blue-violet crystal. Its core swirled with light as she aimed her staff at it and sparks shot off from its face at irregular intervals. If the pebbles raining from the pillar were anything to judge by, the indigo stone seemed to be slowly breaking down its stone housing. Whatever Cyclonis' goal was, it was evidently important enough for her to ignore the ruckus behind her in favor of concentrating on the stone. The tip of her staff was glowing hotly in lava hues and the butt was shining the same blue-violet as the crystal.

Aerrow's gut twisted with hatred just looking at the young empress. She was the reason for all the grief Atmos had been through lately; the reason the Storm Hawks were here on the Far Side; the reason Aerrow was battling the influence of a snake-monster inside of him. She was responsible, and she would pay.

Aerrow crept forward further, gripping the long handles of his daggers tightly. He could disarm Cyclonis easily if she didn't see him coming, he thought.

Aerrow glanced back at his teammates. Finn and Junko were fighting back-to-back amidst a sea of Cyclonian Talons, and they were doing a good job holding off the weak soldiers considering the sheer number of them. They couldn't last forever, though, he knew. He had to move quickly.

He reached the stone platform and bounded lightly up the steps, landing carefully only a few feet from Master Cyclonis. He took a deep breath, pulse pounding in his ears. This was it. The moment of truth. The moment of Cyclonis' reckoning. He had to stop her now or he may never get the chance again.

Aerrow leaped forward, activating his daggers mid-jump and swinging them in twin arcs at Cyclonis' knees.

A split second before his blades met their mark, Cyclonis whirled around with a furious hiss and knocked the blades away with her staff. "Sky Knight," she addressed him, voice dripping with contempt, "how nice to see you again." She twirled her metal rod and smacked him in the chest with it, sending Aerrow stumbling back.

He coughed, straightened, and declared, "I'm bringing you to justice, Cyclonis, once and for all."

She chuckled at that and unclipped her cloak, letting it fall to the ground around her feet. "Of course you are." Aerrow scowled, and she continued, "Let's see how well you fight when I do...this." Cyclonis laid a hand on a flat, blood-red disk tucked into her belt, which he'd failed to notice before. The Forbidden Tablet!

Aerrow surged forward, crying, "No—!" But the tablet glowed hotly and a searing burst of pain assaulted him. His daggers clattered to the floor and he dropped to his knees, crying out in pain. A cruel smile spread over Master Cyclonis' features.

"You can't stop me, Aerrow. No one can. Especially once I've finished what I came here to do." She motioned with a sweep of her arm to the green stone above her. "It's all right, though. Pretty soon, you'll be completely under my control. The little beast inside of you will see to that." She chuckled softly again and raised her arms, her staff in one hand and the red tablet in the other.

The blood-red disk glowed bright, and Aerrow felt his control over his body begin to slip away as it had before, that time in the Condor's brig. Darkness encroached on his vision as the pain shooting through him intensified, and soon he slumped to the hard ground, unconscious.

...

Junko sent another Talon to the ground with a fist to the gut, turned, and threw a second off of Finn's back. The marksman shouted, "Thanks, man!" while he loaded another paralyzer bolt into his crossbow and fired. A Cyclonian froze in mid-step and fell stiffly onto his back. Finn repeated the same fluid motion time and again: load and fire, load and fire, and rows of enemy soldiers fell, unable to move.

Junko swung his fists in wild arcs, taking out Talons left and right without even looking, his knuckle busters trailing bright green streaks in the air behind them. Both Storm Hawks were going strong, but both were steadily tiring, and running out of ammunition, in Finn's case. The Cyclonians, on the other hand, kept on coming.

...

Seconds after Aerrow fell, he woke again, experiencing the familiar disturbing feeling of helplessness as his body was separated from his control. Master Cyclonis stood over him, smirking, and he rose onto his knees and lifted his head slowly until his gaze reached hers. "You were just as feeble a challenge as I had expected," she said, and turned away from him. He noticed that the tablet was no longer in her hand. He couldn't see it on her person, either. He wanted to curse aloud, but his mouth felt numb.

She sauntered up to the huge stone pillar and flattened a palm against its surface as she spoke to Aerrow, "You were planning to capture me, then, and take me back to Atmos? Did you really think you would succeed? Really, three dim-witted Storm Hawk children, breaking into a Cyclonian stronghold and taking me into custody? You are even more silly and misguided than I thought. A shame, really... I had hoped I wouldn't have to destroy you to get you out of my way, but...you've forced my hand." Her voice dropped to hardly above a whisper, and she turned back to Aerrow.

"I was a bit curious to see where your, mm, relationship with the navigator would lead. Would it cause a rift in your team, disturb your efficiency? Or maybe bring you all closer together, and make you a bit more formidable. Oh, yes, I know all about what's been going on between you, Aerrow. You think these crystals are only for controlling people? Those little crystal beasts—everything they see, I see. It's very...amusing, actually." Cyclonis chuckled.

Aerrow wanted so much to be able to stand and backhand Cyclonis across the face, but he couldn't move by his own will. As it was, he just fumed and raged in his mind uselessly, struggling against the wall of mental fog that prevented him from taking control of his body.

Master Cyclonis came back to stand in front of him and reached down to lift his chin with a finger. "Maybe I'll keep you alive," she mused, studying his blank face. "You may prove useful."

Aerrow could do nothing but stare back at her. He kept fighting, though, in his mind. She let him go and crossed her arms, looking out over the rest of the room. She pretended to notice Finn and Junko. "Ah, yes, it looks like your friends have failed as well. What shall I do with them? Throw them from the top of the tower? Keep them to rot in prison? Oh, so many options. I'll have to think about that."

Aerrow willed himself to move with all his might, using the sheer force of his mind to try to overcome the crystal beast. He felt heat flare into his face with effort, but nothing was happening. Cyclonis glanced back at him, her dark brows drawing together in confusion. "What are you doing? You can't overpower the beast within you, Sky Knight, no matter how hard you try."

Aerrow ignored her words and strained against the restraints in his mind even harder. A dull pain erupted in his head, but he kept fighting, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He threw himself against the walls that kept him from control, and he willed the crystal beast out of his head with everything he had. The pain grew sharper, but Aerrow persisted.

Cyclonis' eyes widened, and she reached somewhere in her robes—presumably where she'd hidden the Forbidden Tablet. With one last desperate shove against his mental barriers Aerrow felt something click in his mind, and he lunged up and grasped Cyclonis' wrists, shoving her back against the stone pillar. Something clattered to the ground. The tablet. "No! Impossible!" she shrieked, reaching after the fallen tablet, but Aerrow was faster. He dove. As he rolled, he picked up the tablet, and as he exited the maneuver he brought the thing high over his head.

"No!"

Aerrow swung the Forbidden Tablet at the ground. When the blood-red disk struck the ground, it shattered. An animal shriek emanated from the pieces as they clinked to the ground. Aerrow suddenly coughed, doubling over, as pain wracked his body. Through vision blurred with pain he watched the crystal beast apparition worm its way out of his chest; an ugly, snaky, translucent little thing. It shot away from him and its image dissipated into the air. Aerrow fell limp with relief, now able to breathe much more easily.

Master Cyclonis was outraged. "No. No! You—rrahh!" She roared in fury and planted her feet firmly, raising her arms over her head and yelling something unintelligible. The indigo crystal high above her flared brightly, and streams of multihued light burst from it and flowed into Cyclonis' staff, down her arms and into her body. She laughed maniacally as the shifting light enveloped her, and shouted, "You've lost, Sky Knight! You have no idea of the power this crystal holds. And soon it will be mine! Mine! No one can stop me now!"

Aerrow took a few steps back, emerald eyes wide, watching Master Cyclonis rise into the air to hover a few feet above the ground. It reminded him painfully of their final battle, with Cyclonis channeling the red Far Side crystal's power into herself and Dark Ace, he and Piper watching helplessly... It was not something Aerrow wanted to repeat.

He dove to the side, grabbed his daggers and rolled up onto his feet. Cyclonis cackled again. "Are you going to fight me now, Sky Knight? What good is that going to do? I'm unstoppable!" she cried, throwing her arms into the air.

Aerrow just set his jaw and gripped his blades tighter. He was the team's last hope. Finn and Junko were down for the count, and the others had no idea what was happening. Aerrow had to stop Master Cyclonis now, or they may never succeed.

"No one is invincible, Cyclonis. Not even you." He leveled one dagger at the empress. "I'm bringing you in. We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way."

Master Cyclonis rolled her eyes, "You heroes have no imagination." She spread one hand, and her staff picked itself up from the floor a short distance away and flew into her grasp. Aerrow noticed again the two crystals at its ends—the glowing indigo one in particular. That must be how she was channeling its power. Cyclonis floated gently down to stand once more on the stone floor and dropped into a defensive stance. "You want a fight? Fine. Come and taste bitter defeat, Sky Knight."

Aerrow snarled and crouched, then sprang up and flipped over Cyclonis, slashing his blades down over his head and twisting to land on his feet.

She slipped out of the way of his blades and fired a blast of energy from the blue-violet crystal on her staff.

Aerrow sprang back out of the way and leaped forward again immediately, tackling Cyclonis and tumbling for a stretch before he pinned her by the shoulders.

She simply chuckled and pressed a hand to his chest, and a burst of energy blasted him away from her.

Aerrow hit the ground and rolled to his feet. Cyclonis floated back upright, and Aerrow ran to meet her with his blades. She deflected his strikes with her staff each time, retaliating with blows to his shoulders and chest, and they danced back and forth over the stone platform for some time, locked in combat.

The whole room of Cyclonians was either silent and watching the struggle, paralyzed, or unconscious. Junko and Finn had recovered and stood among the Talons unchallenged.

Aerrow and Cyclonis continued on exchanging blows, evenly matched for the most part, but Aerrow was tiring. Cyclonis was not. Aerrow's breathing was growing labored, his steps slower, his motions less fluid. Master Cyclonis was gaining the upper hand.

Within another moment, she slipped in a final strike to the stomach that sent Aerrow tumbling against the stone pillar, gasping for breath. He braced a hand against it and rose to his knees.

"I told you, Sky Knight, you can't defeat me," Cyclonis gloated, the aura around her glowing brighter. Aerrow scowled. He pushed himself to his feet, using the pillar as support. The indigo crystal on her staff was blindingly bright now, and he could feel the raw power swirling in the air, a subtle vibration that made him feel full of energy.

He glanced upward at the original indigo rock, then back to Cyclonis. If he destroyed the crystal, Master Cyclonis would no longer have a source of power to channel, but who knew what kind of side effects that might cause. A better option was to take out the stone on her staff. But how to do that? She kept it as close as if it were her own child.

An idea hit him.

"Finn!" he cried, holding intense eye contact with Cyclonis, "now!"

This was not actually a pre-arranged signal, so Aerrow could only hope that his marksman knew what he was talking about when he fixed the empress with laser-focused vision and nodded sharply.

Finn fired.

Cyclonis turned to face the oncoming bolt, as Aerrow had predicted she would, and the momentary distraction gave Aerrow the chance to leap forward and grasp for the staff while she wasn't looking and—

"No! You'll—"

Cyclonis was cut off mid-shout as Aerrow shoved the butt of the staff down as hard as he could and the indigo crystal cracked, its seams glowing with bright light, and exploded.

A blazing aurora lit the dim room suddenly, flashing shifting shades of blue and violet, and shards of sharp-edged crystal were flung in every direction. A wave of energy surged out from the crystal core and slammed back everyone in range. Aerrow was thrown against the stone wall. Finn, Junko, and the Talons were flattened against the floor. Cyclonis, as she was thrown toward the ceiling, screamed and flung her arms out. A ray of residual purple light shot out of her hands and struck someplace behind Aerrow, spent.

The light swirled and shimmered with a dangerous beauty for another moment, surrounding the broken tip of the staff before it faded into wisps of dimness. The room was left with a somber feeling of loss, its only illumination now coming from the dim yellow crystals mounted on poles. It suddenly seemed very dark.

Cyclonis, picking herself up from the floor where she'd fallen, snarled, "You reckless imbecile! You could have killed us all!" She tried to charge Aerrow, but her leg buckled and she fell again. She held out her hand and her crystal staff returned to her. Aerrow stood and rolled his sore shoulder, making sure it wasn't damaged from where he'd just struck it against the wall. He stepped across the platform to stand over Master Cyclonis, trapping her staff against the floor with one foot. She hissed and whipped her head up to glare at him murderously.

"I think you're the one tasting bitter defeat, Cyclonis," he told her.

To his bewilderment, she began to laugh softly. She met his gaze with narrowed eyes and replied, "You're mistaken, Sky Knight. I've already finished what I came here to do." Her gaze shifted to Aerrow's right, and he whirled to see what she was looking at. There, in the flesh and evil as ever, stood the Dark Ace. Tendrils of dying indigo light settled around him.

"Hello, Aerrow. So nice to see you again."


	13. Get Serious

Aerrow gasped, "That's impossible. You're—"

"Dead? Evidently not," Dark Ace cut him off impatiently.

Aerrow shook his head. "I saw you! You were destroyed!"

Dark Ace sighed and rolled his eyes, "Really, Aerrow, I thought you were smarter than that. A crystal as powerful as that one could bring back a hundred more from the spectral realm and still be full. You were doomed to lose either way." He crouched, drawing his sword from across his back and activating it. Red flame licked down the length of the blade, and the Dark Ace grinned cruelly. Aerrow silently gripped his own daggers and dropped into a ready stance, a determined light in his eyes.

"Let's finish this now, Sky Knight. You have been a thorn in my side for long enough," Dark Ace growled.

Aerrow grit his teeth and jumped forward, bringing down both blades to meet Dark Ace's upraised sword. He danced back then and went on the defensive as the Talon commander slashed at him, once at his chest and once in a backhanded strike at his face.

Aerrow dodged both blows and leapt up, twisting in the air to land behind his enemy and kicking the Dark Ace in the shoulder blades, sending the older man stumbling.

Dark Ace caught himself and whirled around to catch Aerrow's next strike on the hilt of his sword, then retaliated with a swipe to the young Storm Hawk's knees.

Aerrow jumped up to avoid the blade and responded in turn with a jab at Dark Ace's torso. The Talon hopped back out of the way, lowering his sword slightly. "I see you've been practicing," he smirked.

Aerrow gave him a humorless smile. "Maybe you're just getting old."

Dark Ace snarled and charged him again. Their blades locked, and the two duelers struggled to gain the upper hand, shoving at each other to try and throw off the other's balance.

Aerrow could hear Master Cyclonis' amused chuckle echo behind them and anger shot through him, lending him the strength to force Dark Ace away from him and slash across the man's face with one dagger. Dark Ace recoiled with a furious cry, holding one gloved hand to his cut cheek.

Aerrow didn't take advantage of the pause, the fair fighter that he was, and let Dark Ace recover. The Talon was about to leap back into combat, but Cyclonis interrupted them, "Dark Ace. It's time to go. We have a world to overtake."

Dark Ace glanced behind him at her. "But, Master, the boy!" he protested.

Cyclonis scowled. "We have what we need. I'll deal with him later. If you haven't managed to defeat him yet, what makes you think you ever will?"

Dark Ace seemed stung by this, but he sheathed his sword obediently and settled for shooting Aerrow a vicious glare. He stalked back to his master's side, and Cyclonis raised her staff.

Aerrow leaped forward with a desperate, "No!" but he was too late. The two Cyclonians vanished with a violet flash, and Aerrow grabbed empty air and landed on his face on the ground. He pushed himself up on his elbows and buried his face in his hands. He'd lost them. Cyclonis—and now the Dark Ace, too—was still at large, and it was his fault.

Aerrow stood and sheathed his daggers, turning to look out over the room.

The Cyclonians had just been standing around watching the action, and now they glanced at each other sheepishly and returned to their duties, ignoring the Storm Hawks. Apparently they didn't want to start another fight. Aerrow could live with that. He beckoned to Junko and Finn, and they followed him back to the iron door. He didn't say a word, and they didn't push him to.

In silence the three teammates mounted the slowly spiraling staircase, this time all the way back up to where their Skimmers were parked, through a hidden door against the wall that blended in with the cracks in the stone. They climbed onto their vehicles, and then Junko spoke: "What do we do now?"

Aerrow sighed and looked down at his handlebars. "I don't know. We have no idea where Cyclonis disappeared to. And now Dark Ace is back."

They sat in silence for another moment. "Let's head back to the Condor for now. We need to tell the others what happened," Aerrow finally said. The boys nodded in grim agreement, and they fired their engines. Aerrow led the way back through the wide crack in the wall, and a moment later the three Storm Hawks were flying through the open sky.

The cool wind raking through Aerrow's red hair did nothing to improve his mood as it normally would. His brows were drawn together with a mix of anger, worry, and deep thought. He was trying to come up with some way to track down Cyclonis again, with little success.

Maybe Piper could use some kind of crystal to get a bead on Cyclonis' whereabouts; follow her...teleportation trail, or something. Aerrow knew he was just shooting in the dark on this one. He had no idea how to find the Cyclonian empress and her Talon commander aside from searching every terra they came across, and that would take forever. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Man, he'd screwed up.

Then a resounding boom rang from behind him, and a red ball of energy whizzed by his Skimmer, missing by a matter of feet. "Whoa!" he cried, turning to look over his shoulder.

On the surface, the Cyclonians had cleared a circle around a giant cannon, similar to the one Junko had wanted to install on the new Condor. It was big and red and ribbed with silver supports, just like the rest of the Cyclonian army's equipment. As Aerrow watched, it belched forth a second blazing cannonball that flew over his head.

"They're firing on us!" Aerrow called to Finn and Junko. "Scatter and meet me at the Condor!"

They gave him nods and split off in different directions, Junko to the right, away from the tower, Finn down toward the surface. Aerrow stayed on course in an attempt to draw the fire away from his friends.

Two more cannonballs were fired in rapid succession, and Aerrow took his Skimmer into a roll to avoid them both. They shot by on both sides, and Aerrow straightened his Skyride's flight when they'd passed.

Another blast spewed into the air, this time with Finn as its target. Aerrow cursed and tried to shout a warning to his friend, but he knew the marksman was too far away to hear him.

All Aerrow could do was watch as the burning projectile struck the wing of Finn's Skimmer and exploded, sending metal parts flying in all directions with black smoke billowing. Aerrow closed his eyes in despair.

When he opened them again, he barely glimpsed the pale-colored parachute floating down from the destruction before it passed out of sight. He breathed a relieved sigh and almost laughed. That had been far too close for his liking. 

The relief didn't last too long, because Finn was now grounded in enemy territory. 

Aerrow was going to get him out.

He pulled his Skimmer into a roll and dove down toward the surface, a trail of cannonballs following his path mere feet from his bike's tail. He headed for the place he'd seen Finn's parachute drift out of sight, gunning his Skimmer's engine to its limit.

He flew over the area in question once, scanning the ground for Finn, and spotted the blond marksman pulling his parachute into a roll and stashing it where the pale color wouldn't stand out. He smiled slightly to himself, brought his Skimmer around for a second pass, and headed toward the ground.

As he neared, Finn caught sight of him and climbed up onto a jutting rock, waving his arms frantically. Aerrow slowed as he came closer to the rock and took his Skimmer into a roll.

He reached one hand over his head—toward the ground, once he was inverted—and he felt Finn catch it as Aerrow flew overhead. He righted his Skimmer, using the momentum to pull his friend into the seat behind him. "Thanks, man," Finn said a little breathlessly.

Aerrow looked over his shoulder at him. "No problem. You okay?"

Finn nodded and replied with fake confidence, "Ahem, yeah, never better."

Aerrow rolled his eyes. If Finn was acting like that, he was probably just fine. He pulled his Skimmer up away from the surface and once again into the Cyclonian blaster's range. He dodged cannonballs the whole way back to the Condor, now idling in the air some distance from the crumbling tower.

When his Skyride entered the hangar bay and skidded to a halt, the heavy bay doors rumbled closed immediately and he felt the Condor shudder into motion. When he looked around, Aerrow noticed Junko's vehicle already parked and looking unscathed. Looks like the Wallop had gotten back to the ship just fine. Both Aerrow and Finn dismounted and headed for the bridge.

When they reached the door, Aerrow hesitated a second before he stepped forward. Finn didn't notice. The door slid open and the two Storm Hawks entered the bridge.

Aerrow felt a flood of guilt assault him when he was met by his friends' hopeful faces. He'd failed again. Instead of feeling a sense of despair, though, this time Aerrow was filled with determination. They'd come close to catching Cyclonis, very close, but only a few unexpected variables had upset their success. If they could find her a second time, Aerrow was confident that together they could defeat her. He was getting sick of messing up, though. He just wanted this whole ordeal over with.

Piper looked over their little group—two people instead of three, Cyclonis being the non-present third. She seemed to deflate and stated the obvious: "You didn't catch her."

Stork looked over his shoulder at them from the helm. "Oh, thank you, Piper, we hadn't noticed."

She shot him a glare, and Stork and turned back to stare forlornly out the front window.

Aerrow set his jaw. "I'm tired of this. It's time to get serious, guys. We're bringing in Cyclonis, and Dark Ace too. Yeah, he's alive," Aerrow added, seeing Stork and Piper's bewildered expressions. "Stork, take us west."

Stork raised a finger. "Why west?"

Aerrow growled, "Do you have any better ideas?"

The Merb slumped in defeat and turned back to the helm, pulling the wheel to his left and gunning the ship's engine.

Piper looked on silently. She wanted to know what had happened down on the surface, but now didn't seem a good time to ask. Aerrow had a fire in his eyes she'd never seen before, and she didn't like it a bit. Even from where she stood, Piper could see his muscles pulled tight as Finn's guitar strings, his gloved hands gripping the railing tightly, his jaw clenched.

Their mission was of the utmost importance, she knew, but it seemed he was seriously letting it get into his head. She'd never seen him like this before.

She was worried.


	14. End in Sight

While Aerrow and the boys had been away, Piper had finished copying the map Hunter had obtained from Adara onto her own paper. She rolled it up and brought it to her room, where she stashed it safely on the highest shelf. The original stayed on the center table on the bridge.

She'd found that there were a total of seventy-six terras existing within Far Side territory, only fifty-one being inhabited. The others were too inhospitable to provide a comfortable environment for people; some frozen, some volcanic, some below the cloud line and dangerously close to the Wastelands.

Adara's map had even included the terra names. They were similar to the names of the Atmosian terras, but a bit more archaic, in Piper's opinion. Terra Dolos; home of the forbidden crystals, Terra Tenebrarum; the Cyclonian terra they were just leaving, Terra Derelinquo; the one that reminded her of Terra Saharr.

There were too many places Master Cyclonis could've disappeared to.

The Storm Hawks couldn't just fly aimlessly all over the place or they'd never find her. But, fortunately, they didn't have to. Piper had a plan.

She was working on building a machine to track Cyclonis. She'd rigged together a compass that Hunter lent her, a sensor, and a few other pieces from around the ship, and the result was a device that tracked the energy signature of Cyclonis' crystal staff. Every machine with crystals as its power source gave off an energy signature, and the staff's was much stronger than most. The sensor would pick up the unique signature from miles away, and the compass would point toward the origin of the energy waves, thus leading them straight to Cyclonis. Piper figured that the empress was rarely without her staff, so the method was pretty promising.

That is...if they could lock onto the right energy signature.

Piper was bent over her desk now, tightening the final screws on her gadget before picking it up and straightening.

Aerrow had filled in the team on what had gone on during their mission some time ago. Piper's first reaction to the news Aerrow brought was a feeling of deep disappointment. She'd believed in him, and he'd failed, after all. After the initial despair, though, she'd felt determination take over and resolved to do something herself. Piper had gone straight to her room and taken awhile to think over the problem of finding Cyclonis before getting to work on her invention.

None of her teammates knew about her project yet, excluding Hunter. Now that it was finished she'd take it to the bridge, show them, and put it to use as soon as possible. She turned away from her desk and stepped out into the corridor.

She turned down the hall, footsteps echoing in the metal space, and weaved through the maze until she reached the door to the bridge. She was about to step up to the door when it slid suddenly open and Junko tumbled out, bouncing across the floor to hit the far wall with an "Oof!"

Piper jerked back to avoid being bowled over, cradling her tracker more securely against herself, and glared through the open bridge door at a sheepish Finn. "What exactly are you guys doing?" she demanded.

Junko picked himself up from the floor next to her and rubbed his head. "We were, um, playing catch?"

Piper turned her glare on him. "Playing catch. With what, the engine?"

Finn shook his head proudly. "Nope. With Radarr." He pointed to Junko, who held up the furry creature for her to see. Radarr's face was a sickly green.

Piper sighed and ordered, "Put him down, he looks like he's going to be sick. Where are Stork and Aerrow?"

"Ah, over here," Stork's voice answered her.

She looked around. "Over where?"

Stork popped up from behind the control board, waving his wrench in greeting. "We're repairing one of the weapons circuits. It disconnected after the last use." His eye twitched as he added, "Wouldn't want to be unprepared for a...mutant moth attack."

"Right. Definitely not. When you're finished, I have something to show you."

Aerrow appeared from behind the control board then, a black smudge of grease across his cheek, and replied, "Actually, we just finished. What is it?"

Piper covered her smile with one hand and moved over to the center table, where Hunter had been perched a bit awkwardly. Now he hopped off, and he and the rest of the team gathered around as she set down her tracking device in the center.

"Um...what is it?" Junko asked.

"It's a tracker," Aerrow realized, a grin spreading across his face. "She built a tracking device. Piper, you're a genius!" He smiled over at her, and Piper blushed slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure it will work how it's supposed to." She shrugged doubtfully. "I can guarantee it will work better if I can key in the frequency of her staff's energy signature. But for that we'd need an energy trace from her staff."

Aerrow smirked. "Well, good thing she just about blasted me with it a minute ago. Scan me." He spread his arms decisively.

Piper couldn't hold in a laugh of delight. "Perfect. Hold still." Quickly, she waved the tracker up and down Aerrow's person. The device beeped thoughtfully for a moment. She held her breath, hoping.

Then it chimed. Locked on.

The team let out a triumphant cheer. In her joy, Piper dropped the device on the table and threw her arms around Aerrow, no longer caring what the others thought. "We're really going to do this," she said in Aerrow's ear.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's save the world."

Stork was the only one not celebrating. He was bent over the table, poking at the device. "Guys? Look! It's already picking up the signature trail."

"Yes!" Piper rushed back to the table, picked up the tracker and peered at the small screen. Stork was right. A violet dot was flashing on the little grid, southwest of their current position. "You're right! We've got Cyclonis!"

Aerrow immediately ordered, "Stork, take the helm. Fly us to Cyclonis!"

Stork didn't need to be told twice. He hurried to the helm and pulled it to one side, the ship slowly following suit, then he fired the engines. Piper moved over to join him at the helm. "According to the tracker, she's now twenty-two miles directly ahead of us."

Stork grunted in acknowledgement and adjusted the ship's position slightly. Aerrow strode past the two of them to the window.

"This time, we're bringing her in for good. No more mistakes, no more mercy," he said.

Suddenly Piper's jubilation faded just a bit. She frowned. No more mercy? What was that supposed to mean?

Aerrow went on, "If we can get her staff away from her, she won't be able to teleport long distances, right?" He looked back over his shoulder at Piper.

Piper nodded cautiously, and Aerrow answered, "Good. Then if several of us can corner her without her staff, she'll be helpless." Piper saw a dark smile pull at his lips, and she shivered.

Something wasn't right with Aerrow. Whether it had something to do with the crystal beast or just the pressure of the mission she didn't know, but she had to say something.

She stepped over to stand next to her leader at the window and laid a hesitant hand on his arm. Aerrow looked over questioningly. "Listen. Aerrow, I—I think you're taking this mission a little too seriously," she said.

Aerrow stepped back away from her, brows drawn together. "What do you mean? The entire planet is depending on us taking down Cyclonis. How could I not take it seriously?"

" _That's_ what I mean! 'Taking down Cyclonis?' We're just supposed to capture her, not destroy her! She may be bad, but Master Cyclonis is still just a teenage girl."

"You know what I meant."

"Do I?"

Aerrow scowled. "I think you're the one taking this too seriously, Piper. Just concentrate on the mission."

Piper closed her eyes and turned away. "I'm just worried, okay? I don't want you to turn out like—like one of them. Taking joy in others' suffering."

Aerrow's expression cleared, and he reached to touch her shoulder. "Piper, I would never..." he trailed off.

She let Aerrow pull her back to face him, and for a moment they just searched each other's eyes. Then Piper said quietly, "I hope not." And she turned from him and returned to the helm.

Everyone on the bridge was staring at the two of them. At a hard look from Aerrow, they quickly pretended to lose interest and returned to whatever they'd been doing.

Stork spoke up with a report, "Eighteen miles."

They were silent for a few minutes. Then, "Fifteen miles." Stork's voice was growing nervous.

Another several minutes passed. "Ten miles."

"Seven miles." The helmsman's voice was wavering excitedly.

"Five...four...three," Outside the window, a massive terra was approaching. This one, like Terra Derelinquo, hovered just above the cloud line on anti-gravity pontoons. Unlike the desert terra, however, it was twice the size of any terra the Storm Hawks had ever seen before.

Piper looked over her shoulder. "Hunter, what is this place?"

The former Interceptor bent over Adara's map, "Terra Majorus," he supplied. The name hung in the air, stilling everyone on the bridge.

It sounded final and intimidating, and brought the realization to Piper that their mission ended here. Whether they defeated Master Cyclonis or were defeated themselves, this was the end of the road. The outcome would decide the fate of all the Atmos.

Her gaze drifted to Aerrow of its own accord. The Sky Knight was already looking at her, and when their eyes met she knew he understood the situation as well. He turned to face his team.

"Storm Hawks," he said, and they all knew he included Hunter in the address, "This is where it ends. We either capture Cyclonis and save Atmos, or we fail and the world is left vulnerable. We can't let that happen.

"When we land on that terra," He pointed out he window. "we ride straight to Cyclonis, together, and we hit her with all we've got. I'll need all of you to get the job done. You understand the risks, and you know what has to happen in order for us to save Atmos. Guys, I am proud to call you my team." He looked around at all of them in turn, his eyes like jewel shards. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Stork. Radarr hopped up onto Aerrow's shoulder and gave him a determined grin. Finn and Junko shouted, "Yeah!" Hunter gave Aerrow a single nod, and Piper set her jaw and nodded.

"Good," Aerrow affirmed, and glanced out the window. They were directly over Terra Majorus, and Stork had idled the ship in the air. Aerrow turned back to face the team.

"Then let's ride."


	15. Here's the Plan

The team was marching toward the door off the bridge, eyes determined, hearts full with purpose. Aerrow led them, Radarr on his shoulder. His every muscle sang with tension, but it was a good kind of energy. Adrenaline. His fists were clenched. He was ready to end this battle. He reached for the panel beside the door.

It hissed open before he touched it.

A figure stood in the opening.

Stork shrieked in surprise from the helm, horrified that an intruder had boarded his ship without his knowing. Aerrow, Piper, and the boys jumped back, reaching for their weapons. Only Hunter remained relaxed. He stepped forward, holding out an arm to keep Aerrow from attacking.

"Adara?" he said in his English lilt, sounding shocked. "What are you doing here?"

The figure in the doorway was slim, mid-height, dressed in desert-colored skywear. Her most striking feature was an untamed mane of coppery hair. She looked at Hunter with wide eyes, seeming not to notice the weapons trained on her by the rest of the team. "I've never been on a ship from the Other Side before," she exclaimed.

Aerrow was looking incredulously between the intruder and Hunter. He rubbed his shoulder where Radarr's claws had pierced his suit in surprise. The blue creature chirped an apology. "Care to explain?" he said to the Interceptor.

Hunter glanced at Aerrow over his shoulder. His jaw had dropped a bit. "Aerrow, this is Adara. The one I bought a map from on the desert terra." He returned his eyes to her pointedly. "I'm sure she was _just_ about to explain why she's on your ship…"

Adara looked at the Storm Hawks for the first time, her pale green eyes bright with excitement. "Yes, indeed. I'm here to help."

"Help with what?" Piper snapped, eyes narrowed. She hadn't relaxed her grip on her staff.

"With stopping Master Cyclonis, of course! I have a Speeder and everything. You don't even have to brief me. I'm ready to go."

"I think we should let her tag along," said Finn to Aerrow, but his eyes were on Adara. He was smoothing back his spiky hair, flashing a winning grin in her direction.

"Snap out of it, Finn," said Piper. "We don't know if we can trust her."

"She seems like a nice person to me," Junko put in, shrugging.

Aerrow shook his head. "Piper's right. I think it's best if you just go back—"

"Please," Adara broke in. "I can't live with that witch's presence in my world anymore. She's like a dark spot in the atmosphere. I can feel the evil. I have to breathe it every day." Her eyes were wide, and combined with her blazing hair they made her look a little crazy. "Let me come with you. I can help."

"Well…" Aerrow trailed off, unsure of himself.

"I trust her," said Hunter. He turned to Aerrow, snatched a glance at Adara, then met the gazes of each of the team in turn. "If only because I know what it feels like to breathe the wrong air every day."

Aerrow gave him a long, searching look. "Okay," he said finally, "but it'll be your job to keep an eye on her." He strode forward, brushing past Adara, and took the turn toward the hangar. "Let's go."

The Storm Hawks' steps clanked on the metal floorboards as they hurried to their Skyrides. Aerrow had pulled ahead of them, and before they reached the hangar Piper jogged to catch up to him. In a low voice she demanded, "Are you really going to let her join us? We know nothing about her. She could be a Cyclonian!"

Aerrow frowned. He kept his eyes ahead to where Radarr was scurrying along the ground. "You sound like Stork."

"Aerrow, listen to me. We have no reason to trust her."

"No, but I do trust Hunter," said Aerrow. Piper started to protest again, but Aerrow cut her off. "Piper, please. We have no time to waste. Just trust me."

He picked up his pace to catch up with his copilot, and Piper fell behind, feeling hurt and frustrated. "I trust _you_ , just not her," she muttered to herself. She tightened her grip on her staff. She consoled herself by deciding that if the girl even looked like she was about to betray them, Piper would knock her silly. Then Aerrow wouldn't brush her off so easily.

They arrived at the hangar. The bay door was partially open, probably thanks to Adara, and all their Skyrides were lined up by the wall, front wheels in clamps so they wouldn't roll. An unfamiliar dust-colored ride was parked near the bay door struts: the tail end was a motorcycle, but the front looked like a tractor and the wings were shaped like butcher's knives.

Aerrow mounted his bike first with Radarr close by, and Adara went to the tractor craft. The others went to theirs and released them from the clamps. Hunter, having no ride of his own, climbed on with Finn, who gave him an approving high-five.

"Ready?" Aerrow looked around with intense green eyes.

"Yeah!" cried Junko, revving his Skyride. Finn cheered and did the same, accidentally spinning his tires on the metal floor. The others gave solemn nods. The hangar was full of the noise of rattling Skimmer engines, magnified by the metal walls. Aerrow had to shout over the din for them to hear his command:

"Storm Hawks, let's ride!"

He hit the button on the wall, and the bay door groaned open. Finn and Hunter led the exodus from the Condor, dropping out of the hangar with a flourish. Junko followed, then Adara, Piper, and Aerrow.

The wind hit them with the force of a cargo ship. It was strong, cold, and smelled of smoke. Aerrow struggled to gain control of his ride as it was buffeted by the blast. Beside him, Radarr strapped his small frame into his sidecar for fear of being blown away. "Guys, this wind is killer," Finn's voice crackled over the radio. As Aerrow watched, Finn's ride bucked and weaved as he tried to fight the wind. Hunter was hanging onto the backseat for dear life.

"I know," Aerrow transmitted. "Hold it steady! Listen for the plan."

He scanned the terra below as they flew closer, shivering in the chill wind. The thing was massive. It was floating above the cloud line on its antigravity pontoons, and its highest point scratched the dome of the sky. Noble mountains marched in a horseshoe shape around the perimeter of the terra, and within the ring of the mountains was a city. A main thoroughfare split the very center of the city and led to the most impressive structure yet: the tower of Terra Majorus. It was sparkling stone topped with a gold roof and a balcony. Several smaller sister towers clustered around its base.

All this was impressive, but Aerrow's gaze was drawn to the sky above the tower. Dark shapes cut through the backdrop of the sky: flapping wings, twisting bodies. As he tried to identify the beings, a shrill cry reverberated through the valley and carried to his ears.

"Are those…?"

"Dragons!" exclaimed Piper. "And look!"

He knew immediately what she was indicating. As they flew closer to the terra, he could begin to make out a figure at the peak of the tower. A dark figure, surrounded by an ominous glow. It could only be one person.

"Cyclonis," he growled.

"And where there's Cyclonis…" began Finn.

"There's gotta be a ton of Cyclonians," Junko finished nervously. "Aerrow, what's the plan? They're going to notice us soon."

"Hang on. Let me get a closer look," Aerrow answered. The others pulled up and began to circle, and Aerrow took his Skimmer into a shallow dive. Aerrow narrowed his eyes as he peered down at the surface within closer proximity. Upon a second look, Aerrow began to realize that something was very wrong with Terra Majorus. The massive, beautiful city seemed abandoned. As he flew over, he noticed charred spots among the sparkling structures. Some buildings were even burned out completely, their shells occupied now by Cyclonian war crafts. The only signs of life he could see were a few straggling people moving down the main street toward the tower.

Desperate for answers, heedless that Cyclonis might spot him, Aerrow followed their path. As he neared the tower his stomach dropped into his heels. Not only was the tower decked out with dozens of tentacle-like Far Side weapons and Cyclonian banners, but... "Guys," he said.

"What is it, Aerrow?" asked Piper with worry.

"I'm looking down at the courtyard around the tower. And…it's full of…"

"What?" shrieked Finn, unable to bear the suspense.

"People. Regular people. Only they're all standing there like robots."

"Finn!" Hunter's voice burst through the radio suddenly. Aerrow could hear Finn cry out, and then blaster shots, and the whine of a failing engine. An explosion rocked the atmosphere from behind Aerrow.

"No!" Aerrow looked over his shoulder breathlessly, searching the sky with wild eyes. "Finn? Guys!" he shouted, trying to identify the distant wreckage that he could see raining from the sky. "Guys! Is Finn okay?" Radarr was chirruping urgently from the sidecar, covering his eyes with his paws. Aerrow felt like doing the same.

Piper came on after an agonizing pause. "Yeah," she panted. "A rogue Skimmer came up below him. We didn't see it until it was almost too late. Hunter shot it down." Aerrow let out a sigh of relief. "But, Aerrow—the pilot. He—"

"He had _red eyes!_ " wailed Finn suddenly. He was obviously shaken. "What kind of Cyclonian—!"

"It's the Forbidden Crystals, Aerrow," said Piper. "It has to be."

"But I broke the crystal tablet!" Aerrow cried, suddenly overtaken with panic.

"I know, but it's the only thing that makes sense. All the regular people gathered around the tower where Cyclonis is, the pilot with red eyes. Aerrow, your eyes were red when that thing possessed you."

A shiver wracked his body at the word _possessed._ It was as if remnants of the beast were still in him, wrapped around his heart. "How is she doing it without the tablet?"

"I don't really want to find out," Piper replied somberly.

"Me neither." Aerrow scanned the courtyard, the tower, and the city one more time as he brought his Skimmer around and prepared to return to his friends. "Okay. Here's the plan. Junko: there's a crowd of people gathered around the tower. When I was p—" He stopped. "—under the influence of that crystal monster, Piper snapped me out of it by hitting me in the head. I think those people have the same crystal monsters inside them. Get it?"

"You want me to hit a bunch of people in the head?" Junko asked.

"Yes. Otherwise they'll take to the sky and we'll be outnumbered."

"Okie-dokie, boss."

"Just no permanent damage, if you can help it," Aerrow added. Then, "Finn, Hunter: you're the best marksmen we have. I want you to fly down to the tower and take out the exterior weapons. Just don't let them take you out first."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n," said Finn.

"Stork, I want you to circle in the Condor and take out those warships in the city before they get off the ground."

"I can try," Stork affirmed.

"Piper: you and me are going to go pay Cyclonis a visit. We're the only ones who can beat her and Dark Ace. And no Binding."

"But, Aerrow—"

"It almost killed you last time. Either we beat her together or we go down fighting, but I'm not risking your life for some crystal magic again."

"If the Dark Ace is back, what makes you think Cyclonis won't use the Binding again?" asked Piper.

Aerrow went silent for a moment. "Call it a hunch," he said with some asperity. Then he signed off the radio channel, cutting off her objections, as he reached his team again. Beside Piper, Adara and her tractor Skyride were still circling without a directive. "Oh," said Aerrow, remembering her. "Why don't you, um, back up Junko?"

"I thought Hunter was to keep an eye on me," Adara said. Her red hair was blowing in the vicious wind.

Aerrow's expression soured slightly. He glanced at Piper, who offered him no support. She seemed upset. "Fine. Yeah. Follow Finn and Hunter," he said. "Be careful."

When she'd gunned her engine and flown off to join the ranged fighters, Aerrow turned to Piper. Her amber eyes were darkened. "Are you ready?"

"I'd feel better if we had the Binding to fall back on. We can't be sure that—"

"Piper, it's a bad idea. I won't let you risk it."

"Will you stop cutting me off! This is the fate of all of Atmos we're talking about. It's worth the risk if it means we can stop Cyclonis."

"Not to me," said Aerrow. "I don't want to live in an Atmos without you."

Piper was speechless. Her heart hurt. "Aerrow…"

His eyes were full of emotion. "Now let's go," he said before his voice threatened to break. He wasn't just trying to get her to agree with him. He meant it. Aerrow wanted to save the planet, but if it would kill Piper to do it, he would give up the mission without a second thought. He pulled his Skyride around and twisted the handles sharply, and the bike shot forward. He heard Piper's own ride whir into motion behind him.

Below them, Aerrow could see his team flying into action: Finn and Hunter toward the tower, their bows armed and ready; Junko toward the ground, waving his knuckle busters intimidatingly; Adara, the mystery, trailing after Hunter, her defender. He was proud.

For no reason other than to look into her amber eyes for a final moment, Aerrow glanced back at Piper. When she noticed his gaze, she gave him a smirk. She pulled her staff from the rear seat of her ride and gripped it tightly.

"She won't win this time," she declared.


	16. Far From Losing

Master Cyclonis was hardly fazed when Aerrow dropped onto the top of the tower with his Skimmer, leaving skid marks on the immaculate gold surface and a massive _clank_ rattling through the air. She turned coolly, aiming the tip of her staff at Aerrow's figure. The violet crystal there began to glow.

Aerrow almost jumped off his Skyride too late to avoid the blast that followed. He dove from the seat without a second to spare, seeing out of the corner of his eye his beloved Skimmer take the full brunt of the violet beam. The front chassis crumpled, and the ride spun out of control. Radarr, still in the passenger sidecar, shrieked with terror. With a metallic whine of the still-running engine, the Skimmer rode itself over the edge of the roof with furry blue copilot still strapped in.

"Radarr!" Aerrow screamed, reaching uselessly after his plummeting ride. He didn't see Cyclonis raising her staff again, this time with no obstacles between the violet crystal and him.

Luckily, Piper landed on the roof just in time. Cyclonis gasped and lowered her staff as the heliscooter roared across the gold toward her, blades whirring. The front bumper struck her and she sprawled on the metal ground with a grunt. "Curse you, Piper," she said as she pushed herself up slightly. Her fingers were still closed around her staff. "Always spoiling my fun."

Piper had leaped off her ride and was now striding toward the fallen empress, her own staff in hand. Aerrow reached her first. He stopped, standing over Cyclonis, and leveled one of his daggers at her face. "Surrender, now," he said strongly. His green eyes were ablaze and full of vengeance, "or I'll toss you off this tower like you did to Radarr."

"In your dreams, Sky Knight," Cyclonis hissed, and suddenly shot from her prostrate position into the air. Her robes floated disconcertingly around her as she levitated above the golden tower. "My plan is almost complete," she said, and her voice echoed off the surface of the roof. "Soon I will be able to open the portal to our side, and I will command my army through and lead Cyclonia in the conquest of all the people of Atmosia."

"How?" demanded Piper, stalling. She placed a hand on Aerrow's arm subtly, trying to calm him. "No one has ever gotten back to our side."

Cyclonis laughed, a raspy, demeaning sound. "Dear Piper, do you know the true story of the Far Side?"

Aerrow exchanged a glance with Piper. He was in no mood for a history lesson, but maybe in telling them about the Far Side, Cyclonis would slip up and reveal her master plan. He glared back at Cyclonis. "Enlighten us," he shouted up to her.

Cyclonis laughed again and studied her long black fingernails, searching idly for blemishes. She remained hovering out of their reach, though her staff was no longer on the offensive. "You see, my dear, stupid Storm Hawks, this is not really the _Far Side_ of Atmos. This was the original side.

"The first inhabitants of this planet were not humans, as you Sky Knights love to believe, but dragons. This realm was their home. There were millions, living in peace, exchanging life forces with the crystals of Atmos as humans do with vegetation…" Cyclonis' face had taken on an almost dreamy expression, but now her eyes flared with anger: "Then humans stepped in and ruined it all. The once-earthbound human race advanced, took to the skies, greedy for the power of the crystals, and killed scores of dragons to fulfill their lust. Sky Knights like yourself led the war." Her staff was glowing as if mirroring her rising emotion.

Piper had begun to inch slowly backward, toward Aerrow, without Cyclonis noticing. Aerrow slid his gaze across to look at her discreetly, and he noticed a green crystal in her hand. _The Binding crystal!_ he thought. _Piper, no!_

He cleared his throat deliberately, making Piper look back at him. He shook his head slightly but firmly. She widened her eyes, as if to say _But —!_

Aerrow shook his head again. She rolled her eyes in exasperation, but Aerrow did not waver. He thought he'd already convinced her that the Binding was out of the question!

Meanwhile, Cyclonis had not noticed their silent exchange. "Driven to the brink of extinction, the dragons made a final, desperate attempt to save their world," she continued, voice growing in volume and intensity. "The four dragon elders channeled their very essence into four powerful crystals, the Elder Crystals, and used them to cleave Atmos into two: on one side, a sanctuary for the last of the dragon race and the peaceful humans. On the other, a place of exile for the usurper Sky Knights and their followers. The Wastelands opened in between, barren plains of lava, rock and death."

"You're saying our Atmosia used to be a prison for Sky Knights?" demanded Aerrow, outraged. She had to be lying. How could she know all this, anyway?

"How do you know all of this?" added Piper, apparently reading his thoughts.

Cyclonis laughed. "It's essential, Piper, that a great leader know the history of her land."

" _Your_ land? Not on my watch!" Aerrow cried. He activated his daggers, dropping into a crouch. "History lesson's over, Cyclonis. Come down and face us!"

Cyclonis made a petulant sound. "But I haven't even gotten to the best part." She raised her staff, which was glowing hotly violet again, and drifted toward the ground. "You see, the elder dragons saved their homeland, but at the cost of their own lives. They withered away, having poured the last of their energy into the Elder Crystals, but the crystals remained. The humans of this realm built towers to protect them, and the last of the dragons made it their purpose to guard the towers which held their elders' souls."

Piper gasped, realization dawning in her amber eyes. "And together, the Elder Crystals—"

"—have the power to once again open a portal between the two sides of Atmos!" finished Cyclonis, shrieking with laughter. Her feet met the ground, and she leveled her glowing staff at the two Storm Hawks, who now stood side by side. "Even apart, the crystals are formidable forces of power—power enough to, say, return a soul to its corporeal form." She grinned cruelly, and Aerrow and Piper suddenly understood: _Dark Ace!_ Cyclonis was not done, however. "Together, though, they will render me unstoppable! Whoever wields the four Crystals holds the dragon race at her beck and call." The young empress smirked more widely, and Piper's heart dropped with dread.

"You're going to use the Elder Crystals to lead a dragon army into Atmosia," she gasped.

"Where are the Crystals now?" asked Aerrow urgently.

Cyclonis chuckled dryly. "One was on Terra Luxio, just inside the Far Side portal you so infuriatingly followed me into. Another, on Terra Tenebrarum—"

"The place you brought back Dark Ace!" realized Aerrow.

"A third, on Terra Dolos."

"Home of the Forbidden Crystals," Piper said solemnly.

"Aren't you Storm Hawks so smart?" Cyclonis exclaimed with heavy sarcasm. "I'm just reeling from the might of your intellect! Impress me again: where's the last Elder Crystal?"

Piper's jaw slowly dropped as she put the pieces together. "Right here on Terra Majorus," she said, "and if they're all kept in the towers…" Her gaze lowered to the golden roof beneath her feet. "It's right under us."

Cyclonis clapped in mock delight. "So close!" she cried.

Suddenly, a nasty electrical crackle burst to life. A red glow like dying embers caught Piper's eye, and she whirled around. Striding toward them like a demon incarnate, jet-black hair whipping in the cold wind, was Master Cyclonis's puppet. Aerrow's arch-enemy. The Dark Ace. In one hand was his flashing red sword, and in the other was a heavy cylindrical crystal the color of honey. A malicious smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

"I've got it, Master. The last Crystal."

…

Junko was in the midst of an ocean of red-eyed, zombified people in ill-fitting Cyclonian skywear. He was outnumbered a few thousand to one with no weapon but his knuckle busters and no one to watch his back except his trusty Skimmer. He was sweating buckets and breathing hard, and his fists were starting to ache.

In other words, he was having a blast.

With every punch, Junko whooped with joy. His adrenaline was pumping and he knocked out the fake Cyclonians one hit at a time. Somewhere ahead of him, in the city, he could see mushroom clouds periodically billowing up and blotting out the sky (Stork disposing of the Cyclonian war crafts) and the explosions just excited him even more.

He was in the middle of a trick-shot, in which he grabbed an older gentleman by the arms and slung him around to tackle an overweight reptilian individual, when disaster struck. Junko happened to turn in the middle of his senior-citizen-slinging and his gaze fell on the tower above him.

Finn's Skimmer had been within sight the whole time, shooting missiles down onto the tower's Cyclonian weaponry, but now Junko could not see it. Junko paused for a precious second, wondering if Finn had circled behind the tower and would emerge soon.

He counted six heartbeats and no Finn appeared. A line of smoke crossed the sky to his right, but he dismissed the notion that Finn might have gone down.

Whirling around to deflect an attack, Junko felt worry start to seep into his gut. His knuckle busters sent the Cyclonian flying. Then Junko raised his formidable hand to his ear.

"Uh, guys?" he spoke into the radio transmitter, "where's Finn?"

A crackle from the transmitter made him wince. Then Piper's voice sounded breathlessly over the channel. The rapid _clink_ of crossing blades was audible in the background. "What do you mean, where's Finn?"

Junko punched another Cyclonian. "Uh, I can't see him anymore. What's going on up there?"

"Cyclonis is using four Elder Crystals to open the portal back home and send dragons through! Dark Ace and Cyclonis are giving us trouble," Piper cried. A shuffling briefly interrupted her speech. Then, "I haven't heard from Finn either. Call Hunter." The radio cut off, leaving Junko alone again.

The Wallop groaned in dismay and knocked aside two more Cyclonians. He tuned back in to the radio channel. "Hunter? Hunter! Are you with Finn? Are you guys okay?" No one immediately responded, and Junko repeated, "Hunter!"

Again, silence. "Oh, no," Junko whined. "Finn, you better be okay." He glanced up at the tower again, and that fateful line of smoke. It was dissipating now, like Junko's hope.

…

Most of Finn's Skimmer was embedded in the tower wall with the barrel of a ruined crystal cannon thrust through it. The rest was in pieces.

The line of smoke in the sky was, in fact, from his plummeting Skyride.

Finn himself lay on an outcropping of gray stone which used to be a balcony, skywear charred, body bruised. His crossbow had fallen from his hand and slid across to rest precariously on the edge. A knot was forming over his brow where his head had hit the stone, and he didn't stir.

Hunter had not been so fortunate. He was conscious, but he was not lying on the stone balcony.

He hung by his fingertips from the edge of the platform, buffeted by the wind. He groaned with the effort of holding on. His hand was cramping and the pain shot up his arm like crossbow bolts, but he could not let go. There was nothing below him but empty air and the courtyard a hundred feet down.

"Finn!" he cried hoarsely. His throat was damaged from inhaling smoke. "Finn!"

Finn did not wake.

A particularly strong gust of wind picked up, and Hunter found his grip slipping. He squeezed his eyes shut as his fingers weakened against his will and he prepared to fall into thin air.

This was it, huh? Four years away from home, alone and stranded. Finally there came the chance to return to everything he loved, but he would fall off a tower and die before he could realize it.

He would never see Starling again.

For a long time, he'd been telling himself that, but he'd never really believed it, deep down. There was always the childish hope that he would return home, have the courage to tell her everything he'd tried to hide, and start his life over. With her.

Now it was the truth. Made all the more painful by how close he'd been to fulfilling that childish fantasy.

Hunter was startled by the brush of something against his face. He shook his head slightly, but it did not fall away. Opening his eyes once more, he realized that it was a tear. A single tear.

His grip on the ledge failed.

…

Piper was locked in combat with Master Cyclonis. Her energy was waning, but she still matched the empress blow for blow. She was pleased to see that Cyclonis, too, was growing weary. Over the empress's shoulder Piper watched Aerrow duel with the Dark Ace. Aerrow had jumped in and engaged the Cyclonian warrior before he'd had the chance to give his master the final crystal. Now their battle took them all over the roof, and more than once Piper feared that they would fall.

While Piper's attention was somewhat compromised, Cyclonis swung her staff at Piper's head, but Piper ducked and swept her leg around to knock Cyclonis off her feet. Cyclonis hopped over the attack and deflected the swing that Piper launched as she straightened. She returned it with a jab.

Fully focused now, Piper spun away and came in close, bringing her elbow up to strike at Cyclonis' head from the side. This time the empress was too slow. Piper's sharp elbow hit her behind the ear, and Cyclonis staggered. Piper took the opportunity to kick her crystal staff out of her weakened grip.

As Cyclonis looked up, snarling and cradling her injured head, Piper glared down at her. "You've lost, Cyclonis. Give up."

"Never, Storm Hawk," Cyclonis spat. "Besides, I'm far from losing."

Before Piper could respond, Cyclonis rolled to her feet. As Cyclonis' cloak billowed in the chilling wind, Piper spotted a pouch hanging at her belt that radiated power. Even as Piper watched, Cyclonis pulled her Binding crystal from its depths and threw out her hand to the Dark Ace, shouting, "Now, my champion! _Diamond's Edge!_ " She was engulfed in a cyan aura, which spread to Dark Ace through the jet of a glowing beam.

"No!" cried Piper. As she turned, gaping, it was as if time slowed down.

She saw the blue beam flash from Cyclonis' hand into the Dark Ace's body, watched the moment it took effect and Dark Ace smile viciously. Saw Aerrow break away from where he'd had blades locked with the Cyclonian warrior and throw Piper a frightened glance.

 _I should have used the Binding anyway_ , Piper thought suddenly.

She saw the diamond blade come to life in the Dark Ace's hand. Watched it grow. Saw the point aimed at Aerrow.

 _I should have used it anyway._ The words rang between her ears.

She saw Aerrow stumble in his haste to back away from the emerging crystal blade. She saw the look in his green eyes. She saw that he was too slow.

She saw that she was too slow.

She saw that she was powerless.

To stop the diamond blade from shooting forward

and piercing her Sky Knight's heart.

_I should have used it anyway._


	17. Crumble

Hunter's fall was stopped short by a hand around his wrist.

He looked up sharply, heart soaring with hope. "Finn!" he exclaimed.

"Gotcha!" The marksman, looking still woozy but triumphant, was crouched over the edge of the balcony, arm outstretched to seize Hunter's fall. He reached to grab Hunter's wrist with both hands and hauled the archer up with a grunt, allowing him to get his upper body over the lip of the platform and then roll to safety.

Hunter lay back with an immense exhalation. "Thanks," he panted. "I thought I was a goner."

"Not on my watch," Finn replied with a grin. "Can't lose my new wingman, ya know."

Hunter managed a weak smile. "Of course." On the inside, his emotions were a roiling storm. On one hand, adrenaline was pumping and the joy to be alive was singing through him. On the other, he was panicking. He'd almost died! His worst fears almost came true!

As he struggled to rein in his feelings, Hunter began to climb painfully to his feet. Not only had he ended up dangling from the ledge in his fall, but when Finn's Skimmer had been clipped with a cannonball and crashed into the tower, he'd gained some unsightly bruises as well. He rubbed at one such bruise on his shoulder and turned to Finn. His mouth was open, ready to inquire, 'What now?'

—Until suddenly, the Storm Hawk convulsed, engulfed in a crackling bolt of electricity. Hunter lunged forward but was too slow to catch Finn before he fell to the ground. His uniform smoked.

Hunter, mouth agape, stumbled back. He tore his gaze from the fallen Finn and raised it to where a figure now stood in his place.

"Adara?" he gasped.

Hunter reached for his bow and then realized it had dislodged from his back in his fall. He glanced quickly at the edge of the precipice, where Finn's crossbow still balanced.

"No need for that," said Adara, lowering a crackling ice-blue crystal to her side. Her light-colored eyes were wide and unassuming. "We're all friends here."

"Bull! You traitor! We took you in—I _defended_ you so that you could come with us." Hunter was outraged. His hands shook as he balled them into fists. He was not usually a man of a temper, but this felt personal. "We trusted you, and this is the thanks we get?"

Adara waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head. Her flaming red mane blew in the wind. "No, it's not like that."

"Then explain to me what it is! Because from where I am standing, you've just stabbed the Storm Hawks in the back for showing you kindness."

Adara looked away momentarily. "I wish you heroic types wouldn't make everything so dramatic." Her words were impudent but her expression was pained. "I'm just trying to survive in this world."

Hunter glanced again at the crossbow where it threatened to take a dive from the balcony. He was still fuming. "I'm still not satisfied," he said.

"Oh, dragon's bones, Hunter, I want to leave this place!" Adara burst out, her cool demeanor slipping. "Before you came to my shop on Terra Derelinquo, Cyclonians came through. They told me about Master Cyclonis's plan. They promised me that if I helped them, I would be able to cross over to the Other Side."

"And you believed them? Adara, they're Cyclonians!"

Adara looked at Hunter defensively. "You of all people know that I can tell truth from lie."

"I know that you're awfully good at the lying part."

"Don't pretend like you're such a saint," Adara snarled. "I can see your soul, Hunter. I know your past is full of darkness."

"And the past is in the past, isn't it?" Hunter shot back, only slightly fazed by her scrutiny, "but you can choose what to do with your future. I can tell you siding with Cyclonis is the wrong choice."

Adara's hair whipped about her violently. Somewhere behind her, an explosion rocked the terra, painting the sky in red. For the first time, Hunter noticed the new patch on the lapel of her skywear, bearing the Cyclonian Talon crest. "It's too late for me, Hunter. I've been a slave to this place too long."

"It's never too late—"

A fuzzy crackling noise cut him off. A voice, broken into snippets of dialogue, warbled through the air. "Help—! —Condor! —stabilizers—down!" The noise was coming from Finn's radio.

Hunter, heart racing, went to kneel by Finn. He tuned the device more strongly into their channel and listened. Stork's voice came through, clearer but still covered with static. Some words were lost in the transmission. "I won't be able to—much longer! Without the stabilizers—explode!"

Hunter looked up sharply, anger beginning to cloud the edges of his vision. "What did you do!" he roared, rising quickly and striding toward Adara.

Adara backpedaled, raising her electric crystal to ward him off. "What I had to," she answered, barely above a whisper. She plunged her hand into a satchel that hung by her hip. Her hand emerged holding a hunk of metal and wiring, whose display was dark and dead.

Hunter looked at the device, into Adara's eyes, then up at the sky. He realized what the explosion had been. Pieces of the Condor's aft structure were raining down like brimstone around the city of Terra Majorus. The sky was full of smoke and crimson flames. The ship itself was spinning out of control. Unable to maneuver, the Condor was at the mercy of the remaining Cyclonian fleet, which was beginning to rise from the ground. All the while, Stork's desperate voice babbled on the radio, his cries going unanswered.

"He's trying to say that without the dampening stabilizers on the thruster combustion system, the engine is liable to overheat. Especially if so much power is being routed to the weapons system," Adara said.

As Hunter watched, red cannonballs arced their way through the atmosphere and chipped away pieces of the Condor's hull, one by one. Smoke billowed from the engine, and an alarming whine was audible even at this distance. The Storm Hawks' ship was going down.

"You backstabbing, conniving Far Side witch! I wish I'd let Aerrow throw you off the ship when he had the chance!" Hunter couldn't stop a stream of oaths from falling from his lips in a rage. He backtracked to the edge of the balcony and grabbed Finn's crossbow where it lay. Without hesitation, he aimed it at Adara.

How could he have been so blind? Had she really charmed him so much on Terra Derelinquo that he fell for her ruse? It didn't matter. The damage was done. And it was his fault.

Maybe killing Adara would make it right.

He pulled the trigger.

Adara ducked behind a crumbling stone wall, which partially divided the balcony from a shallow alcove in the tower wall. The platform had once led into an inner room, but Cyclonian forced had probably collapsed the interior to seal it off from intruders.

The crossbow bolt glanced off the corner of the wall and sent a spray of debris spinning away into the air. Among the dust were the shards of an ice-blue crystal: Adara's weapon. Now unarmed, Adara was screaming for him to stop, but Hunter loaded another bolt from his own hip quiver and aimed again. He was moving forward, coming around the damaged wall, cornering Adara in the alcove.

For a fateful second, he hesitated. He saw the look in her pale eyes and saw his own past reflected there. The fear, the isolation, the desperation. He saw her outstretched hand, pleading with him. She had the same mission as him: get out of here.

The only difference was she'd picked the wrong way to do it.

He raised the crossbow again.

He couldn't say whether he would have pulled the trigger this time. The final time. As it happened, he didn't get the chance.

A sudden tremor rocked the tower, and dust rained down from the stone ceiling over Hunter's head. A groaning noise rose, blocking out all other sounds, terrible and agonizing. Stone on stone, protesting. The tower was beginning to sway.

"The Condor hit the tower!" Adara realized, voice constricted. Her actions may well have sealed her doom.

"It's coming down," guessed Hunter darkly. And they had nowhere to go. He ran out onto the balcony, where Finn was coming to again, rubbing his head. Hunter caught him under the arm and lifted him up roughly.

"Wha—?" moaned Finn, but Hunter cut him off:

"The tower is falling."

Finn shrieked, only half in control of his wits. "What do we do!" he cried.

Adara arrived on the ledge next to Hunter. She glanced up at him, and a grim understanding passed between them. Truce, for now. It wasn't like it would matter anyway. They were all doomed.

Hunter raised his gaze to the sky. He could not see exactly what was happening above of the tower, but flashes of color and blinding light arced across the clouds of smoke above. The dark shapes of flying creatures circled the phenomenon. The sound of the tower grinding against itself nearly overshadowed the noise of explosions, many of them.

The portal must have been open.

Out over the city, the Cyclonian warships were rising.

…

As Aerrow fell, the Dark Ace backed away from his crumpling form. The fateful diamond blade receded, and the blue glow died. A sneer crossed Dark Ace's features. Finally. Finally, finally, finally, he'd won. It had taken his death and resurrection to do it, but finally the Dark Ace, champion of Cyclonia, had defeated Aerrow the puny Storm Hawk.

"Dark Ace! The Crystal!" barked Master Cyclonis, not even pausing to congratulate him. Dark Ace was dismayed slightly, but quickly recovered. The victory of killing Aerrow was enough to please him right now. He reached around to the back of his belt and pulled forth the final Elder Crystal, a honey-colored, glowing gemstone.

As he walked it across the shining golden tower roof to her, he saw the grin spread over her young, pale face. Her violet eyes flicked up to meet his red ones for a moment, and he saw affection there. "Thank you," she breathed as her fingers closed round the Elder stone.

Neither of them paid any attention to the navigator girl as she sprinted across the tower to her fallen Sky Knight. Instead, Cyclonis turned her back on the two and threw her cloak back, dipping a hand into the pouch at her waist.

From it she drew the other three Elder Crystals: the dark, blue-violet stone of Terra Tenebrarum, the iridescent green gem of Terra Luxio, and the clear white crystal from Terra Dolos.

Together, the three were already humming with power, but brought into close proximity with the yellow Majorus crystal, the four gems virtually exploded.

The Elder Crystals were torn from Cyclonis' black-clawed hands of their own accord and rose into the air. They aligned themselves in a circle and began to rotate slowly. As they moved, a ray of light pierced the smoke-filled sky above and shone down on the circle of stones, casting bright flashes of color into the clouds whenever a crystal passed its path.

Master Cyclonis laughed maniacally, watching the prisms of color shift and grow as the revolution of the Elder Crystals moved faster and faster. The light was burning her violet eyes, but she did not look away as the Elder Crystals hummed with energy and a simmering ball of power began to spark in the midst of the circle.

"We've done it, Dark Ace!" she cried, spreading her arms victoriously. "Cyclonia has won! In mere moments, the portal will be open and I will lead my army to victory over all of Atmos!"

The ball of crackling light in the center of the Elder circle stretched and warped, beginning to grow, and at its core Master Cyclonis glimpsed a sliver of blue—the sky in Atmosia.

The portal was opening. Cyclonis laughed again, and the sound echoed across Terra Majorus.

…

"Aerrow," Piper breathed, scooping up her Sky Knight so that his shoulders rested in her lap. "Aerrow, don't go." She brushed his damp hair away from his forehead, smoothing the reddish strands. She looked down at him tearfully, full of regret.

"I should have used the Binding," she thought for the thousandth time, finally voicing it aloud.

Aerrow coughed and stirred, and his green eyes met hers. His were unfocused, fading. She hated to see the light disappearing from their depths. "No, Piper," he said. "It would have killed you."

"It might have _saved_ you!" Piper said desperately, swiping the tears from her cheeks. "Instead we thought Cyclonis wouldn't dare use it again, and—and—we were wrong."

Aerrow shifted so that he could raise his hand and take hers. Piper squeezed his fingers, as if she could keep him alive if she held on tight enough. But she could see the wound in his chest, and she could hear how hard it was for him to breathe, and she knew better.

"Don't torture yourself for this, Piper," Aerrow said. "It was my decision. My failure." On the last word, he grunted in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, his too were damp. "Piper, I'm sorry for everything." His voice was growing labored. "Not listening to you, not giving you the credit you deserve. Piper, that time I said—"

"We are not going to do this, Aerrow," Piper whispered, bowing her head over their clasped hands. Behind her, she could hear Cyclonis and the Dark Ace talking, laughing about something. "Don't apologize to me. I forgive you. For all of it." Multihued light was now shining from over her shoulder, and the colors played into Aerrow's irises and made them beautiful.

"Piper, you are the best navigator and warrior and mage and friend I have ever had the privilege of leading and—" he broke off to cough, and Piper had to turn away to hide her tears.

"No," she was saying, "no, no, stop, this isn't it. Stop saying goodbye."

Aerrow didn't listen. "Piper, you're so beautiful." His eyes were going cloudy again. "Thank you for being a Storm Hawk. Thank you for being…" he trailed off as if he had to think hard to form words. "... _my_ Storm Hawk."

"Aerrow!" The name tore from her throat painfully. She held him tight and rocked him as his hand began to slip from hers. "Thank you for being my Sky Knight," she whispered, barely coherent through her sobs. She didn't know if he'd heard her.

She did know, as a mechanical whine filled the air and a sudden impact jarred the tower and sent her sprawling, that her Sky Knight was gone.

She barely had the willpower to pick herself up from the ground and raise her head to see what had caused the massive tremor. Her hand was still holding Aerrow's.

There were already tears streaking her cheeks, so Piper couldn't find the emotion to react when she registered that the object now smashed against the tower wall, engulfed in flame, was the Condor. Some words exited her throat, but she couldn't hear herself over the terrible noise of the now-crumbling tower.

All she could think was _Aerrow_ , over and over again, a little more empty each time.

Piper struggled to keep her footing as the golden roof of the tower groaned and began to tilt. She kept hold of Aerrow's limp form and it dragged her down toward the descending side of the tower, but she could not let him go. She would not.

She looked across at Cyclonis and Dark Ace, not having the energy to stir up any hatred for them at this point. They too were fighting for purchase on the slick, unstable tower roof. The portal was open above them: a rift in space bordered by writhing lightning bolts, which spanned a wide gap between the four spinning Elder Crystals. Through it Piper could see blue skies and the thick clouds of Atmosia, and she felt a twinge of homesickness. And something else. Maybe hope.

Then she looked out from the tower and spotted many dark, sinister shapes rising from the terra. Warships. Her spark of hope evaporated.

The ships slowly ascended as their afterburners spewed crimson flame, and Piper realized they were all on course for the portal. So, too, were a collection of shadowy winged figures that were trailing behind the ships. "Dragons," she said dully to herself, both intrigued and repulsed by the foreign creatures. As she watched, one of the warships broke away from the others and headed toward the tower, letting down a rope ladder as it approached the Cyclonian empress.

Then a significant tremor rocked the tower as something below collapsed on itself. Piper was knocked off her feet with the jolt, and found herself sliding backward toward the edge of the roof. The Cyclonians passed out of her view. Her heart sped up, and she struggled out of her stupor as her own death loomed as a real threat.

As she slid toward the edge of the tower, something caught her eye as it travelled past her. A flash of metal, and a violet crystal. Cyclonis' staff.

Filled with sudden urgency, Piper lunged after it. Her fingers closed round the metal shaft and the crystals at either end glowed to life at the touch of a crystal mage. On one end rested Cyclonis' favorite violet gem, and on the other a lava-red crystal which swirled beneath the surface with energy.

She hadn't known what she was intending to find when she grabbed the empress' staff, but now Piper's eyes widened. "Is that…" she breathed, reaching to run her fingers over the lava-colored stone, "a specter crystal?" She looked down at her Sky Knight, whose rough shirtfront was still clutched in her grip. Sudden energy pumped through her veins. "Aerrow, hold on!"

The edge was rapidly approaching. Piper scrabbled at the roof's surface to find a handhold, but the gold plating was slick. Her heart beat so hard she could hear it over the sound of the tower falling apart.

It was too late. She was going to fall, and take Aerrow and hope with her.

As they reached the edge and went over, Piper's gaze rose to the sky. The Cyclonian warships were passing through the portal into Atmosia, one carrying Master Cyclonis herself, dragons at their flanks. Trailing behind were a handful of Talon Skimmers—the remnants of the possessed army from the courtyard.

The last thing she saw was going to be the failure of the Storm Hawks, she thought.

That is, until the warships began to take fire.


	18. Resistance

"The Elder Council of Terra Atmosia is hereby relieved of duty."

The elders, sitting round the room with heads bowed in resignation, responded with soft acknowledgements. The head elder looked the most disgruntled as he removed his spectacles and rubbed his temples as if they hurt. The bags beneath his eyes were as dark as ever and his hair was unkempt from days without much care. That was how long it had been since the Storm Hawks left through the Far Side portal—days.

In the meantime the people of Atmosia had been preparing in earnest for the return of Master Cyclonis. The Sky Knights had emerged as leaders in the Atmos-wide operation. Newly constructed steel-clad air balloons were rising into the atmosphere every day, armed with blasters and bombs. Civilian Atmosians were signing up for training camps overseen by Harrier and the Rex Guardians (by his own suggestion: "The first Sky Knight was a Rex Guardian, so who better to train a new generation of Sky Knights than the leader of the Guardians himself!"). Youth were learning quickly, and Sky Knight squadrons were taking on new members for the first time in decades.

Atmosia was uniting. Starling led the operation.

Now she stood, green eyes flashing, at the head of the council table where the head elder had once sat. Her fists were braced against the heavy tabletop and she leaned forward with urgency, challenging anyone to disagree with her.

"The decision is unanimous among the Sky Knight squadrons and the people alike," she informed the elders bluntly. "Master Cyclonis annexed half of Atmosia on your watch. I think it's time for a change in tactic."

The head elder let his hands fall to the table, miserable with shame. "What do you propose?" he asked plaintively.

Starling looked back over her shoulder, meeting eyes with the several Sky Knights who stood around the fringes of the room, supporting her. Her jaw worked slightly as if she were chewing on the idea. "Training and building operations will continue until we have fortified Atmosia against the possibility of Cyclonis' return," she said. "While in wartime, a council of Sky Knights will lead this side of the Atmos in place of the elders. I will be its temporary head.

"Until the Storm Hawks return, Harrier, you remain in charge of the recruit training program. Suzy Lu, I want you to maintain the air patrols around the central terras at all times. Dove and the Rebel Ducks, finish those armored balloons so we have something to face those Cyclonian warships. Work hard and work fast. I want you all on high alert until further notice."

A few grave nods were offered in response. The head elder was the only one to speak in the tense room. "You're turning Atmosia into a war zone, Starling. Our home was not meant for this! Don't you think—"

"Cyclonis was the one to do that, Elder. This meeting is adjourned."

…

Starling had stalked outside without another word to anyone. Her heart was hurting.

Not only were her friends gone, hunting Master Cyclonis on the other side of the planet, but her home was gone as well. Atmosia was indeed a war zone. Every spare inch of turf was occupied by a Skyride, a weapon, or a piece of scrap armor from Terra Gale.

Was she wrong to militarize her world like this? To take control from the elder council and wield it herself? To draw the people of Atmosia into her fight?

Starling stopped in the dusty courtyard outside the council building and tipped her head back to look at the sky. No sign of Cyclonis, still. Just a vast blue dome and a few ranging clouds and the whining Skyrides of the Absolute Zeros.

She sighed as the sun warmed her face. Her eyes came to rest on the Storm Hawks flag flying over the city. Would they ever be back? Was this all for nothing?

She couldn't say. All she could do was her best. But Starling wasn't sure if it was the best for her world, or only for herself. She looked down at her hands, which were clasped in front of her. Warrior's hands. She was wired to fight. But Atmosia wasn't.

A step behind her made her look up. The sun glanced off of Harrier's golden armor as he approached her. "Starling," he began in his haughty English cadence, "listen. I believe you're doing the right thing, trying to protect Atmosia like this. But," he spread his hands almost apologetically. "Are you sure it's necessary to keep pushing everyone so hard?" Starling met his gaze as she guessed what was coming next.

"Are you sure the Storm Hawks are coming back? That is—so soon?"

Starling stepped in close to Harrier. "Yes, I am," she said softly but firmly. "Hold your post. We must be ready."

"Ready for what, Starling?" Harrier asked, and his voice was weary.

"Anything. The Storm Hawks sacrificed everything to follow Cyclonis through that portal and save our world. It's our duty to have to have their backs in turn." Her green eyes were again bright, dangerous.

Harrier shrugged. "Very well. You are council master now. I just cannot say how long the people will endure under this pressure." He punctuated his final sentence with a shallow bow, saying, "I will take my leave. There are young ones to be trained."

Starling wasn't sure if his parting words were meant to bite, but they did. _Young ones._ Barely more than children. Was this the Sky Knight way? The energy once again faded out of her as Harrier passed by and left her alone in the courtyard. He was right. They could not maintain this. But she saw no other choice. They must be prepared at all times for—

An explosion rocked the terra.

Starling found herself in a crouch, nunchucks gripped in one hand, scanning her surroundings for the source. A second crash assaulted her ears. She looked up. A line of smoke trailed across the sky. Somewhere in the city, a Skyride had gone down.

Scattered shouts echoed from different directions. Starling's breath came quickly as she kicked into combat mode. She saw no ships or enemy Skyrides in the sky. Had a Skimmer just malfunctioned? She began to relax slightly from her defensive stance, but her muscles remained taut.

All she could see amiss was an odd cloud formation above the terra. The light was shining in a way that made one area look as if it were shifting with color. She stared at the spot, trying to discern what it was. An aurora? Not during the daytime. Something sparked in the center of the clouds. Perhaps a heat lightning phenomenon; the atmosphere was warm.

A red bolt of energy raced from the site of the shifting colors. As she watched, it grounded on the terra surface, in the field where the Atmosian war balloons were moored, and sent up a spray of dirt and shrapnel.

_Cyclonians._

Starling ran for her Skyride.

The clouds opened. A ring of blazing multihued lightning formed a ring in the clouds where before it had just been a shimmering mass. In the center, instead of Atmosian clouds, foreign greenish sky was visible. The Far Side. And swarming through from the other side were coming many, many vessels.

Starling reached the field where the balloons were moored and found herself swept up by a crowd of agitated trainees, aimlessly running from the place where Cyclonian blaster bolts were beginning to rain down. She arrived at a work table covered in steel parts and leapt up onto it, rising over the crowd.

"Sky Knights! To your vehicles!" she shouted over the din, her voice tearing her throat. "Engineers! Get the balloons flying!"

Few were listening. Panicked Atmosians were forgetting their training and fleeing the scene. Starling kept shouting, turning a few in the right direction. The firing was coming closer. No one was listening. She was losing control.

Then Harrier was there.

He barked a command, and suddenly the trainees froze and came to attention. "Trainees—to your craft! We fight!" he cried.

Sluggishly at first, then more surely, the crowd organized itself. Engines began firing. Mooring was released. Fighters were drawing their weapons.

Harrier approached the table where Starling still perched like her namesake. "Starling, come down," he said sharply, offering her his hand. "You were right."

As she jumped down from the workbench and followed Harrier the final distance to their Skimmers, Starling almost smiled ironically. Normally, she loved to be right.

Not today.

She was almost there. Her fingers itched to shoot down as many Cyclonians as she could. She could almost feel her Skimmer's engine roaring beneath her already. Almost.

Starling had to skid to a halt just before reaching her vehicle in order to avoid a crackling red Cyclonian projectile, which threw up a wall of debris that knocked her off her feet. Starling hit the ground and rolled, blinking the afterimage of the explosion from her vision. Her ears rang.

"That was close," shouted a now dirt-smeared Harrier as he hurried to her side. He pulled her to her feet and for once she did not resist the aid. "It looks like Cyclonis has opened a portal from the Far Side," he continued anxiously. "It just keeps growing! Our balloons won't be able to stand against Cyclonis's warships if they keep coming at this rate!"

Starling was able to stagger to her ride and mount up. "Nonsense," she declared. "Our balloons are shielded, thanks to the best crystal expert since—" She stopped. For a split second Starling was deaf to the din around her as her thoughts rammed to a halt. _Since Hunter_ was what she'd been going to say. A rush of old, stale pain overcame her, but she pushed it away quickly. She looked across at Harrier. "It's been an honor," she said soberly.

"You know I love honor, but don't talk that way," replied Harrier in a forced light tone. "I'll see you back in a jiffy."

Starling was not so sure. Looking up at the sky, she knew the odds were not in their favor. A dozen Cyclonian warships were blocking out the sun above Terra Atmosia, raining down cannon blasts like meteors. Atmosian buildings and skycraft alike were crumbling under just a few of the powerful blows. Flanking the massive warships were fighter skyrides, each weaving and cutting through the sky opposite an Atmosian opponent. Red and blue blaster bolts arced between the enemy tides like frantic strokes of a paintbrush. Everywhere was smoke and debris.

Starling revved her engine and took off across the field, banking between enemy shots and piles of smoking scrap. A second later, and she was in the air. One hand was firmly on the trigger of her fore blaster. The other gripped her nunchucks, which glowed violet in the smoky atmosphere.

Cyclonia would not escape her this time. The real war had begun.

…

Hunter's eyes were on the sky as the Cyclonians suddenly lost their monopoly of the atmosphere. The blinding light show above the tower swirled brighter than before. Along with the change, a fleet of light craft came tearing through the portal from the other side and swooped into the fray. Skimmers. Real Atmosian Skimmers.

An involuntary whoop of excitement left Hunter's throat. His eyes were burning, and not just because of the smoke. Four years, and this was the closest he'd ever been to his homeland. The Atmosian vessels now cutting through the sky were the most welcome sight in a very long time. With them came hope.

As he watched, the Skimmers split into groups. Handfuls of craft banked out of the main fleet in formation and drew off clusters of Cyclonian fighters, diverting them into the sky behind the portal rather than through the glowing anomaly into Atmosia. The Cyclonians did not seem to notice the scheme.

The dragons, however, ignored the Atmosian fighters unless confronted at point blank. Hunter's gut turned as he witnessed a rider cut in front of a shadowy dragon only to pitch from his seat in multiple pieces. Another skyride spiraled out of control, engine whining, as flames enveloped its length.

The balcony under his feet rocked and Hunter crouched to keep his balance. Finn grasped his upper arm, whimpering like a young child. With a sharp glance at the marksman Hunter pulled his arm away, instead filling Finn's grasping hands with his prodigal crossbow.

"What do we do, man!" Finn wailed, only partially comforted by the familiar weight of his bow in his hands.

Hunter's piercing eyes stayed skyward. A single rider had caught his attention. The Atmosian bike was rocketing through the air faster than any other Sky Knight, banking and rolling around the blaster fire of two pursuing Cyclonians. The nauseating display may have seemed erratic to the enemy, but Hunter could tell that the rider's moves were as calculated as a chess player's. "I think I have an idea," he said.

He felt Adara's gaze land on him. Without looking, Hunter could sense her look of fright. He almost scoffed. _This is your fault,_ he wanted to say. _Good riddance if you die for your mistakes._ But Hunter held his tongue as she opened her mouth to ask, "What is it?"

He raised one arm. "See that rider?"

"No way," said Finn immediately. "I am not hitching a ride in the middle of a dogfight."

"Do you have a better idea, sharpshooter?" snapped Hunter, turning on him. "You could stay here and smother under a pile of rubble, if that's preferable. We may have _seconds_ until this tower crushes us."

Finn withered under Hunter's steely stare, muttering a hasty concession. Adara's voice sounded behind him, shakily: "What's the plan?"

"Fire a shot from Finn's crossbow. A signal flare. If the rider comes, we jump."

"If he doesn't?"

"We die."

"Bro, that thing can't hold all of us plus the pilot," Finn cried.

"That's the fastest craft in the sky," Hunter reasoned shortly. "With the extra weight, she'll likely only be slowed down to the speed of a normal Skimmer. It's our best chance. Ready your crossbow; they're coming this way."

Hunter took several steps back away from the balcony, ready to get a running start. The rider and two Cyclonian tails were flying low between the nearby mountain peaks in a slalom run, preparing to pass the tower. Finn was still whimpering and talking to himself as he cranked his bow and activated the bolt's crystal tip. Adara joined Hunter and approached him breathlessly. She placed a hand on his arm.

Hunter jerked away from her touch, bristling. "Touch me again, witch, and I'll leave you behind on this rock." He didn't take his eyes from the approaching craft.

Adara let her hand fall. Her expression was full of pain. "Hunter, I want you to understand—"

"Save it. Finn, are you ready?" Hunter cut her off, glancing instead at the marksman.

Finn shouted a tentative affirmative.

"Please—" Adara tried again.

"Now!"

The blaster bolt arced into the sky, burning a blue alarm. Hunter and Finn surged forward toward thin air. Adara trailed a step behind, unprepared. The Atmosian rider rolled out of the mountain trench and shot into a path past the tower. The boys jumped. Adara followed.

The wind whipped past Hunter's ears and stole his breath away. For a split second he cursed himself.

What a stupid plan.

He hit metal facefirst. Pain blossomed from his forehead. The force of the sudden motion sent him rolling, and his heart pounded as the wind threatened to drag him into oblivion.

He shot out a hand blindly and grasped for a hold. A metal plate caught under his fingers. His shoulder popped out of place as his momentum screeched to a halt. Hunter cried out, nearly losing his grip. He quickly reached up with his other hand and secured his hold on the plate.

He raised his head, blinking tears from his eyes. Everything was blurry as the wind assaulted his vision. He was on the wing of the Atmosian Skimmer. He could not make out the pilot, but he could tell that across from him, on the opposite wing, Finn hung in a similar position to his. Finn was screaming.

Adara was not there.

A red blaster bolt streaked by Hunter's head. Gasping, he pressed his head flat to the wing, straining to peer under his arm as he did so. The two Cyclonian craft were still right on their tail. Except, as he watched, one of them pulled off from the chase and climbed back toward the majority of the Cyclonian fleet. Toward Cyclonis's warship.

The enemy Skimmer was carrying an extra passenger. Adara's red hair flung out like a banner as she looked back at them, an unreadable expression on her face.

Hunter spat a curse in her direction. Traitor. Better her than he or Finn, though.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, another round of crimson blasts jetted from the remaining Cyclonian craft. This time they struck the opposite wing. Finn's wing.

A spray of shrapnel burst from one impact point on the wing and trailed off in the Skimmer's wake. Another blast struck Finn's shoulder, and the panels of his armor soon joined the falling debris. The marksman was screaming as his grip weakened. His skysuit was smoking where it was hit.

"Finn!" Hunter cried, but his voice was snatched away by the wind. He gathered his strength and began to inch along the wing towards Finn. The hit to the wing was causing the craft to tilt at an odd angle, and he was slipping toward the cockpit now anyway. Maybe he could reach Finn before disaster struck.

Too late.

A split second, and Hunter could do nothing but watch as the flailing Finn was peeled away from the Skimmer wing and thrown into the air. "No!" Hunter reached uselessly after the shrinking form of the young Storm Hawk.

A furious yell tore from his throat. Were they doomed always to fail? Was Hunter condemned to lose those he cared about most, over and over? He clenched his fist and covered his head with his arm, trembling. He wasn't sure if it was still the wind causing his eyes to burn.

The Skimmer shuddered, and he almost lost his hold on the wing.

"Hold on!" the pilot spoke for the first time, and Hunter realized it was a woman. "I've lost an aileron. We're rolling!"

" _What!_ "

The tilt to the wings went wild. Hunter's world upended. His stomach rose into his throat and his vision went dark and then white again as his head took a turn. His fingers left the safety of the wing as he lost all sense of what was up and down. Terror struck him. This was it.

The wind caught him and pulled him away.

A hand caught him and pulled him back, harder.

Hunter felt his rear end planted backwards in the seat of the Skimmer and he was suddenly watching the afterburners trace spirals through the sky. Beyond that, a rotating view of the trailing Cyclonian vessel offered a glimpse of blue and brown in the cockpit. _Finn!_ Finn was piloting the enemy Skimmer! Hunter would have been relieved, but he was in a dilemma himself. The pilot's firm hand was gripping the back of his suit and holding him down. Involuntarily, he reached over his throbbing shoulder and grabbed it. He couldn't take a breath.

"Chute's jammed!" called the pilot. Of course.

Hunter screwed his eyes shut and suppressed nausea. If any higher beings were watching over Atmos, he supplicated them now. They were going down.

An erratic view of the mountains replaced that of the sky. For a moment, faced with certain death, Hunter's mind wandered. What pretty mountains. If it weren't for the massive wall of man-made bricks that were falling in front of the sun and the sky full of dragons and enemy warships, this might have been a nice place to die. The portal to Atmosia was pretty, too. Like a rainbow.

The Skimmer crashed.


	19. For Stork

Junko held a cold steak to his eye, which was rapidly swelling up. Why there had been a steak in the rear compartment of his Skyride, he did not know, but it was awfully convenient.

His knuckles were bruised as well. One of his knuckle busters was gone, damaged beyond repair. It had crushed a few of his fingers in its final moments.

All this to try and stop the brainwashed Cyclonian fighter fleet, but he hadn't been able to do it. Not alone. There were just too many. He'd tripped over his own feet at a critical moment, and the fake Cyclonians swarmed him. If it hadn't been for that giant glowing hole opening up in the sky and luring the Cyclonians in like bugs to a lamp, he'd be toast.

 _Ooh, toast,_ he thought to himself absently.

His Skimmer was sputtering and protesting beneath him as it carried him up toward the tower. It was falling, and Junko was afraid for his friends. He tried to convince himself that they were safe. They were fine. They could get out of anything!

But when he heard the massive thunder of the tower stones coming down on top of one another, and he saw the flames licking around the top, even his optimism began to fail.

He touched the radio transmitter in his ear, grimacing nervously. "Hey, guys? Listen, I'm really sorry. I couldn't stop all the Cyclonians. The people I punched are all back to normal—well, I mean, kinda cranky, but they're okay—but a lot got away! Are you guys okay?"

Junko's Skimmer engine coughed, and for a second the vehicle stalled. Then it recovered and resumed course for the top of the tower. Junko, heart pounding from the small scare, tried to make a connection over the radio again. "Guys? Let me know you're okay, over." There was nothing but silence from the other end. "Guys," he repeated. "Guys!"

Nothing.

He whimpered helplessly.

That was when, coming around the wall of the tower, a horrific sight opened up above him. Not only was an army of Cyclonian warships blotting out the sky, followed by the scattered remnants of the unit he'd fought in the courtyard, but here and there he saw dark shapes interspersed among the vessels. They weren't ships or Skimmers, but they also didn't look like any sort of animal he'd seen before. They cut paths through the thick smoky atmosphere wherever they flew.

Then Junko's eyes landed on something else, and he no longer cared what the weird shapes were. A mournful cry escaped his throat.

There, at the top of the tower, was a ship. Or, what was left of one. Not Cyclonian. His.

The remains of the Condor's frame were twisted beyond recognition and burn scars marked every inch of its hull. Most of the ship had crushed itself on the tower stones. What was left was still in flames.

"Stork?" Junko said softly, fighting tears. "Guys?" He slowed his coughing Skimmer for a moment, staring up at the wreck. His heart had sunk into his toes. What did he do? Did he go check for survivors? Or did he turn away and tear a path through the Cyclonian fleet and fight to avenge his friends till he could fight no more…

Junko bowed his head when he felt tears start to cloud up his vision. What could he do? No one would answer his transmissions. The Condor was totaled. The Cyclonians were in the air. Junko was not usually one for negativity, but even he was having difficulty seeing the bright side. Maybe…maybe there _was_ no bright side. He felt his big Wallop heart speed up. He'd never been in a situation without a bright side. He looked around, dazed. There had to be _something._ He couldn't function without _something_!

A sudden chirp.

Junko sighed in relief. Yep, that was the bright side calling to him! He was okay now. He started to rev his engine, filled with a new confidence, eyes locked on the Cyclonians up above.

Another chirp, but more urgent this time. Junk stopped and searched for its source. "Huh? Where are you, bright side?" He scratched his head with sore fingers.

A third chirrup echoed from his right, near the tower, and Junko suddenly beamed as his eyes landed on the noisy creature. "I see you now!"

He pulled his Skimmer quickly around and rode close to the groaning stones, reaching out his hand to snatch the furry critter from its place snagged on one of the decorative precipices of the tower wall. Just as he rescued his flustered little teammate, the wall where he'd just been hanging fell away. The tower was coming down.

When he came out of his turn, Junko held up a disgruntled Radarr by his tattered parachute. "What were you doing hangin' out there, little guy?" he asked as Radarr clung to his arm.

Radarr's big yellowy eyes were wild as he chattered and yelped a rushed rendition of his story, but he never took his claws from about Junko's forearm to gesture, which Junko found odd.

"You were blasted off the tower in Aerrow's Skimmer by an energy beam from Master Cyclonis's staff and when you deployed your emergency parachute you were caught in a warm updraft from the warships' engines and blown up onto that precipice where you got stuck?" Junko repeated with vigor.

Radarr quickly nodded. _Exactly._

"Well that sounds scary, Radarr! Thank goodness you're okay."

Radarr nodded again even more quickly and then pointed toward the top of the tower, where the Condor was sputtering to its death.

"You want to see if Stork made it? Radarr, it looks pretty bad…"

Radarr shook his head firmly and gave a decided chirp.

"The tower doesn't have much longer…" Junko weakly tried to reason with him. He would never say it aloud, but he didn't want to go up there in hopes of saving his friend, only to find a burnt-up Stork steak.

Radarr would have none of it. He pointed with one little black claw toward the Condor and held Junko's watery eyes with his own.

Junko sighed and grimaced. "Yeah, okay, you're right. We have to try. For Stork."

Radarr growled in agreement, and Junko didn't even have to translate for him. _For Stork_.

...

Finn could barely contain his mirth as he watched the Cyclonian pilot parachute gently down into the mountains below, leaving Finn with his Skimmer.

"Chicka-chah," Finn gloated, blowing smoke from the barrel of an imaginary gun. He pulled up on the handlebars, bringing the Skyride around to face the Cyclonian army. "Let's crash this party."

He was just about to gun the engine when a flash of color caught his eye. A green Skimmer was puttering along beneath him, tracking toward the wreckage of the tower, which had collapsed moments after his leap of faith. Finn's heart sank at what he saw there.

"Dude…" Having been only partially conscious when the tower began to fall, Finn hadn't registered the reason for its loss of integrity. Now he knew. The remains of the Condor were partially buried in the rubble. One of the fore pontoons punctured the gold tower roof and effectively trapped the ship. The quarterdeck and the bridge were on fire and looked as if they had been burning for a while. Only blackened support beams outlined the place where the Storm Hawks had once lived. Finn wasn't one for crying, but the sight of his home reduced to ash brought tears to his eyes.

The green Skimmer he'd noticed was familiar. His radio connection was trashed, so Finn could not call in to his teammates to he sure, but he trusted his gut. Finn gripped his handlebars tighter and went into a dive.

The wind in his hair helped to lift Finn's spirits slightly as he approached the friendly Skyride, but the burning Condor was still in the center of his view. He rolled over to the Skimmer's other wing and came alongside, squinting to make out the pilot. "Junko?" he cried.

"Finn!" the Wallop bellowed ecstatically. "Man, am I glad to see you!" The engine on his Skimmer seemed to echo his excitement—it popped loudly and began to belch smoke. Junko's wide shape leaned forward to assess the problem. "Aw, nards. I gotta land," he groaned.

"Where are you going, man?" Finn asked over the whine of the failing engine.

Junko pointed with a meaty hand. "The Condor!"

"It's hopeless, dude, the thing's done for," Finn told him. He grasped his chest plate as if the truth gave him physical pain. "The mountains are a better bet."

A shape suddenly sprang up from Junko's cockpit. Finn recognized the furry figure as it made a frantic trip across Junko's shoulders and onto the near wing. "Radarr!" he laughed. Every time he came across one of his friends safe and sound, he couldn't help but feel great relief.

Radarr didn't seem so glad to see him. He was chirping madly and waving his paws in the air, trying to communicate something. His yellowish eyes were wide and wild. Junko, whose arms were shaking with the effort of holding his ride on target, looked across at him. "Radarr, slow down," he scolded. "Finn's not so good at understanding you when you rush."

"Hey!" said Finn, but there was no real offense in his cry. His mind was occupied by worry. He could understand Radarr well enough to know what he was trying to say. The gist of the message was _Stork!_ He raised his eyes to Junko, putting two and two together. "It doesn't look good," he said seriously.

Junko whimpered, trying to avoid looking at the wreckage that grew closer every second. "We have to try." There were tears in his voice, but somehow he kept them out of his eyes. "What would we do without Stork?"

For once Finn didn't have anything to say. Junko was right, but so was he. They had to try even though it was hopeless.

"Okay, let's go."

"Hold on, Radarr." Junko finally let his controls go and his Skimmer took a nosedive. A noisy _whoop_ followed the Wallop down on a crazy path toward the fallen ship. His engine discharge blackened the sky the whole way down. Finn was almost too scared to watch him land.

But they lighted with minimal damage. Once grounded, Finn climbed off the Cyclonian ride and planted his feet in sparkling stone rubble. He looked down. "Shame," he commented, picking up one of his soles. "Would've been a great spot to take a girl."

Junko didn't hear, and Radarr just looked at him askance. Finn shrugged helplessly. Being so close to the crashed Condor was making him depressed, and he didn't know what else to say.

"Look, an opening!" Junko shouted much too loudly. The sound echoed off the barren stones of the tower, rivaled only by the crackling of the Condor's funeral flame. He was pointing at a spot on the Condor's crumpled belly.

"Dude, the whole ship's one big opening now," Finn grumbled morosely.

"Come on," called Junko, ignoring Finn's comment. He slid down a slight bank of stones to reach the Condor's underside. There he wiggled his massive shoulders through the opening in the hull, which must have been a scar from a Cyclonian cannon. Radarr scampered through the hole after him, leaving Finn no choice but to follow or stay outside by the Condor's corpse.

Once inside, their feet made hollow noises on the charred remains of the hull. Junko led them aft toward the way to the bridge The halls of the Condor were lit in some places by sickly red light, but everywhere else the shadows were dark as night. Finn shivered, though it was not cold. He looked around at the leaning bulkheads as they walked, counting blaster burns in the paneling. A whole fleet must have worked hard to bring this old lug down. He ran his gloved fingers over a scar. He'd had nightmares like this.

Turning his gaze to the front again, Finn jumped. Radarr's eyes shined out of the darkness like beacons. They were watching him. "What are you looking at?" Finn hissed, irritably trying to cover his embarrassment. Radarr chirruped innocently and jumped across to Finn's shoulder. Though he didn't want to admit it, Finn was comforted by Radarr's furry presence.

Junko rounded the bend and stopped where the ladder from the aft hold to the bridge had stood. Now, the whole corridor was burned out. The ladder remained, but the hatch onto the bridge was pointless, as the whole deck around it was gone. Finn could see the last of the flames licking away at the Condor's roof far above.

"Stork?" Junko called up the ladder. He leaned forward to grasp either side of the metal structure, but quickly let go when it shrieked under the weight. He huffed, trying to suppress his emotion. "Stork, we're here to save you!"

Finn and Radarr exchanged somber glances. Radarr grimaced as if wondering _Should you tell him, or should I?_

Finn took a step forward, reaching to put a hand on the Wallop's big shoulder. "Listen, dude…"

A crash sounded from somewhere above.

Junko was suddenly halfway up the ladder, heedless of the metal's protests. "We're coming, Stork!" he shouted between panting breaths. He was clambering up into the skeleton of the bridge before either Radarr or Finn could stop him.

Once Finn had reluctantly ascended the ladder after him, the marksman could see the shells of the Condor's control panels more clearly. He remembered the repairs Stork had just recently made to their systems and sighed. Then Finn looked across at Junko. The Wallop was crossing an exposed support strut like a balance beam, arms extended from his sides.

"Dude, what are you—!"

Radarr clapped a paw over Finn's mouth before he could finish. Finn's wide eyes shifted to the furry beast, who was shaking his head frantically and holding a single claw to his black lips. Finn looked back at Junko as the strongman stared at his feet with intense concentration. He was almost to the other side of the beam, which ended at the wall. No, not at the wall, Finn realized—at a door to the crawlspace behind the bridge.

As he watched, Junko made it to the wall and crouched down to wriggle through the opening. Oddly enough, the crawlspace looked more intact than the rest of the bridge. The bulkheads around it were heavily armored. Finn scratched his head and looked at Radarr. "Was that always like that?" he asked.

Radarr seemed to know. The furry copilot chirped something at him and made a motion with his paws as if he were throwing a ball. Finn watched with his mouth hanging open in confusion while Radarr repeated the motion several times, each time more frustrated than the last. After a moment they both gave up.

Junko's head reemerged from the low door. "Guys, come here," he said, voice low but urgent.

"We have to cross that tiny little tightrope of a support beam?" Finn whined.

Radarr yelped scoldingly and slapped Finn with his tail. Finn, muttering "Okay, okay," rubbed his stinging ear and climbed out of the ladder shaft, stepping onto the spiderweb of steel beams that were all that remained of the bridge. Radarr followed closely as if blocking Finn from turning back.

When Finn reached Junko and inched into the low, strangely well-defended storage space, he suddenly understood. In the dim light from outside, Finn could make out the shapes of many square structures stuffed into the narrow compartment. As far as he could tell, the crawlspace extended all the way around the perimeter of the bridge, and all of it was similarly packed. Before he could ask, Junko passed him a weighty spherical object. It felt cold in Finn's hands.

"Stork's extra cabbages," said Junko, reaching into the nearest crate to draw out another vegetable. "And look." He raised his free hand to point to something outside Finn's view. Finn leaned farther into the storage space, peering around a stack of crates. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust enough to see what Junko was indicating.

A body. Stork's body.

Finn recoiled, hitting his head on the low doorframe, almost knocking Radarr off the beam into thin air. "Dude! Wha—" Covering his mouth with his hands, Finn choked on his words. He shakily sat back on the threshold of the crawlspace door. "Is he—?"

Junko's face was stony. He gave Finn a sad, silent look and then returned his gaze to Stork. Slowly he reached forward, extending one finger. Radarr jumped to stop him, but he was too late. Junko poked the body.

"EEP!" Stork screamed.


	20. Lost & Found

Maybe it wasn't so bad to die, Piper thought.

Aerrow was dead. Even if she completed a transfer of his soul into the specter crystal, it would shatter in the fall. The rest of her team was doomed. Cyclonis was going to win. What was there for her to live for?

As she fell from the toppling tower, she became very aware of Aerrow's body clutched in her hand. Her stomach rose into her chest as she entered thin air. A moment of terrible darkness washed over her, and she felt her grip weaken. There was nothing for her to do. She could just let him go…then she would be free to die too…

Her knuckles creaked as they loosened from their death grip on his suit.

"I'm sorry, Aerrow," she tried to say, but the wind made her throat raw. All that came out was a hoarse half-whisper. "We did the best we could."

She stared down her arm at him, letting herself imagine that his expression was serene. Her heart was aching.

The ground was coming closer. The sound of Skimmer engines dully reached her ears.

Piper bowed her head and closed her eyes against their fate.

She opened her hand.

The wind tugged Aerrow out of her reach, all at once. She had no time to change her mind. No second chance.

A sudden shot of guilt and horror raced through her.

_What have I done?_

Aerrow was stolen away from her.

But not by the stone-hard ground and stone-cold death, as she'd feared. By a golden Skimmer, which swooped under his body with a roar and bore it up into the sky again.

Piper's breath left her as a second vehicle came under her and her fall came to a jarring halt. Her head whipped back as she thudded into the rear cockpit of the friendly Skyride, and the motion send pain shooting down her neck. Ignoring it, she sat up straight and reached to grasp the pilot's shoulder. When he turned she tried to speak, but her lungs were empty. Her brow furrowed and she tried to draw in a breath, but it felt as if the Condor were parked on her chest. Panic stirred up in her belly. Her wide eyes met those of the pilot. Harrier.

"Stay calm, Storm Hawk. You've lost your wind is all," the Sky Knight called over his shoulder, eyes sparkling. "I must say, I didn't expect to speak with you again, Piper."

Piper was finally able to cough and pull in a life-saving breath. "Ditto," she gasped, "but man, am I glad you're here!" She pulled herself forward in the cockpit so that she could loop an arm around his armored torso as he took his Skimmer into a tight roll.

Coming out of the maneuver she saw that Harrier had blasted down a stray Cyclonian ride, and she let out a triumphant whoop. Having come so close to death, for a moment Piper was caught up in the sheer delight of living. She laid her cheek against the gold plate on Harrier's shoulder. His blond ponytail whipped at her face, but she didn't mind it. She could not express how good it was to see a friendly Atmosian face at a time like this.

Then she looked to her right off Harrier's wing and saw the second Skimmer, where Aerrow lay. Her heart grew dark again. Silently Piper stood up in the cockpit and stepped onto the wing of Harrier's craft.

"Storm Hawk, what are you doing?" Harrier cried with concern.

Piper held up her fist, which she had momentarily forgotten held Cyclonis' staff. "I have to take care of something," she answered with steel in her voice.

Harrier looked at her cautiously, but did not try to stop her. Instead he pulled his ride up a few feet higher than the other Rex Skimmer and came in close to give Piper the easiest jump possible.

Piper edged out onto the wing, feeling the wind tear at her clothes and hair, threatening to push her off balance and into the abyss. She felt a new terror sitting deep in her chest as she looked down off the wing and saw the expanse below. Not a fear of heights. A fear of falling.

Her heart was racing as she neared the end of the wing. Her eyes had been trained on her feet the whole distance, but now something made her look up. What she saw made her heart leap.

A single Cyclonian Skimmer. Coming right toward them.

"Harrier," she called warningly, looking back toward the pilot. The motion made her balance sway and Piper threw out her arms.

Harrier met her eyes and waved his arm sharply. _Go!_ he communicated.

Piper's breath was coming fast. The Cyclonian ship was coming faster. Engine whining in a direct path toward the pair of Rex rides, the enemy craft began firing off blaster bolts. One barely missed Piper's head. She shrieked and dropped into a crouch, rolling off Harrier's wing and into the second Skimmer.

Her spine struck the edge of the cockpit and nearly cost her her landing, but she gripped the seat and held on. She whipped her head up to get a bead on the Cyclonian's location. From that position, splayed in the Rex ride's rear seat next to Aerrow's gangly form, she watched disaster strike.

Once Piper was clear of his wing, Harrier pulled his Skimmer into a sharp turn away from the other ride. The Cyclonian took the bait and followed, firing all the while.

Harrier was a good pilot, but the Rex crafts were slow. As he went into a rolling dive a Cyclonian laser blast struck his tail. The impact made the whole ride shudder, and as smoke began pouring from the damaged point Harrier was forced to come out of his maneuver.

Piper saw a flash of his face as he glanced over his shoulder at the damage. She saw his hands moving this way and that on the controls, but no response from his ride. She saw the Cyclonian vessel gaining on him as he failed to pull out of his dive.

Another blaster bolt struck the body of his craft and for a moment Harrier was obscured by the oily cloud of smoke. Piper's heart was rising into her throat.

A flash of relief came over her when a gold-plated figure launched out of the seat of the Skimmer, suspended beneath a pale parachute. Harrier's ditched ride continued without him on a collision course with the ground.

It happened too fast for them to do anything.

A red laser ripped through the chute. Harrier dropped like a gold-plated stone. The pilot of Piper's ride screamed and leaned far over her handlebars, trying to dive, but the craft was too slow. Piper closed her eyes. Her free hand grasped Aerrow's shirt unknowingly.

All of the sudden, the pilot sat back and the Skimmer evened out in the air. Piper dared to open her eyes, but she would not look down where Harrier had fallen. Instead she looked at the pilot for answers. Marta, she guessed it was. The Sky Fu expert. There was a limpness to Marta's posture. Her shoulders were bowed. It was unmistakable what had happened. If Piper looked down right now, she knew what she would see. Her throat closed up with emotion.

Piper righted herself in the seat and moved forward. She tucked Cyclonis' staff beneath her leg to free her hands. Marta didn't react when Piper hugged her around the waist without warning. "I'm sorry," Piper said hoarsely near her ear, knowing it was no comfort. She felt tears in her own eyes. That was odd. She'd thought she was empty of tears by now.

Marta said nothing, but one of her hands moved to squeeze Piper's in gratitude. Wordlessly she kicked her Skimmer into high gear and began pulling up on the handlebars. The clunky golden ride climbed in the atmosphere, angling up toward the Cyclonian fleet. Harrier's murderer had left them behind in favor of rejoining its allies. Now they would all pay.

Piper's gaze raked over the crowd of ships until it came to rest on a single vessel. A warship, at the rear of the fleet. The Cyclonian insignia on its side was set in violet instead of the usual black. Hatred flared up in Piper's chest at the sight of the witch queen's ship. She raised her arm to point over Marta's shoulder.

"Revenge," she said in a strangled voice, "is that way." As Marta adjusted their path to hunt down the warship, Piper's other hand went to retrieve the crystal staff from her seat. Turning around in the seat of the Skyride, she looked at Aerrow's face. He looked peaceful, as if he might be asleep- if it weren't for the grayish pallor in his cheeks. She shifted her gaze to Cyclonis' staff. The red specter crystal was glowing faintly in its housing.

She didn't know how long it would take to make the transfer. But she did know that this was probably her last chance to try.

Piper closed her hand over the lava-colored specter crystal. It flared to life at her touch, glowing yellow and red between her fingers. She closed her eyes and moved her other hand to Aerrow's heart. For a moment her skin felt numb to the wind, and her ears deaf to the whipping wind, as her awareness centered on the crystal.

Piper probed with her expert senses into the heart of the crystal, feeling the faint near-sentience of an Atmosian stone brush her mind. She could feel a sort of abyss in the center of the crystal's power, where normally the core would be radiating brightly. She figured this was where the spirit of the subject would be housed. Where most crystals were boastfully powerful, itching to have their abilities unleashed, this one was opposite. This one invited the mage to display her own power by _giving_ it a core. A spirit. It sought to be filled, not drained.

Piper could tell when the crystal sensed Aerrow's presence. She was the channel between the two beings as the specter crystal reached searching tendrils of power toward the body of her Sky Knight. She was aware of a faint, distant light becoming clearer and closer as the crystal reached farther and deeper. The small light came in tentative contact with her mind as the crystal began to pull it in. Piper gasped. A flood of emotion accompanied even the slightest touch. Confusion, panic and sorrow roiled through her at fever pitch, almost causing her to flinch out of contact with the stone. Piper tightened her grip on both the Sky Knight and the specter crystal and struggled to catch her breath.

She knew what the light was, even before it became bright enough for her to see its emerald green hue- the same color as Aerrow's eyes. She also knew that it was struggling fearfully. She could see the small light's feelings reflected in its form. It flickered and bounced to and fro, resisting the pull of the stone as lava-colored strands tried to wind around it. It was going to break the connection if Piper did not intervene.

Piper lowered her head. She extended her mind out to where the lava-colored tendrils met the flashing, writhing bundle of green. She breathed deeply before she touched him, filling her mind with feelings of comfort and assurance. There was a tense, empty pause before she closed the distance. Then she did it.

As soon as her consciousness came in contact with Aerrow's, the little green light ceased its fighting. The panic drained away and was replaced with awe. A questioning tinge of blue flickered along the edges of the green light. Piper could not answer in words; only continue to surround Aerrow's light with feelings of stability and comfort.

The specter crystal's searching feelers were now wound all around the little green awareness. As Aerrow noticed and remembered his fear, the light began to flicker and bounce again. Piper quickly scolded him with a rush of stern thoughts. _No_ summed it up.

Again, the hint of blue. _Are you sure?_ she understood his meaning.

Piper responded with more gestures of reassurance. It meant, _Yes. Trust me._

Aerrow tentatively stopped his struggling and let the specter crystal take control of his path. Unchallenged, the stone moved much faster. Piper could feel both stone and spirit traveling through the channel of her awareness as the specter crystal rescued Aerrow from his inanimate body and led him toward a second chance. There was a flash of panic from Aerrow's light as he lost his connection with his physical form, but it quickly trickled away. Realization was shooting in yellow streaks through his small, bright spirit. The nearer he came to the core of the specter crystal, the more excited he became. Piper felt it too. Hope.

The transfer was nearly complete.

"Storm Hawk!" resonated into her mind, not from Aerrow or the crystal, but from her physical senses. She could not respond for fear of losing the transfer. "The warship is firing on us. We don't have much time!"

Piper cursed mentally, before she realized that Aerrow could feel her thoughts. He flared brightly, suddenly defensive. Questioning blue almost blotted out the green. _What is it?_ the signs asked her.

She flooded him too aggressively with the _No!_ thoughts again, accompanied by feelings of urgency. _Hurry!_ Now was not the time for him to be noble! Piper needed him in the stone so that she could hurry up and concentrate on saving the physical world, too.

Aerrow's green light was still riddled with concern, but for once he listened to her. He threw his spirit to the specter stone. The transfer waxed complete with a blinding yellow and red flash and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction from the filled specter stone. Piper could almost hear the heart of its song as it hummed with energy: _Whole at last._ Now the core of the specter stone radiated powerfully in emerald green. Aerrow was safe.

Good thing, too, because it wasn't long before Piper lost her hold on his body. She gasped and opened her eyes, snapping back to the land of the living. Her eyes burned in the sudden smoke in the atmosphere. She was upside down.

Marta was shouting wordlessly as she guided the Skimmer through a tight barrel roll, circling the path of a massive cannon blast as it shot by them. As she ducked down— or was it up? —into her seat to avoid the heat of the missile, Piper felt her grip lose the battle with gravity.

Aerrow was yanked away from her. He fell from the cockpit.

Right into the path of the cannonball.

His body was gone before she could blink. Piper felt as if half of her heart were being torn from her ribcage. The hole opened back up in her chest and emptiness rushed in. The only thing that kept her from flying into a grief-stricken rage at that moment was the knowledge that part of him was safe in her grasp. part of him was safe in the specter crystal. She knew not how much, but she could rest that _part_ of him was safe.

She tried not to think about how she would never touch her Sky Knight again. Piper realized how much that struck her. There was so much she longed for. So much they had never even thought about doing, but she now regretted. Suddenly Marta's was not the only voice filling the air with pain.

They came out of the roll, one passenger lighter. Marta spared a quick glance over her shoulder to check on her riders. She realized that one Storm Hawk was gone and her lips parted in horror and understanding. Piper met her gaze and simply shook her head. Her jaw was set. Marta matched her expression and turned back to guide their ride the final distance to the Cyclonian ship.

Piper turned her gaze the same way. She felt a growl escape her smoke-seared throat as her eyes landed on the quarterdeck of the enemy vessel. Two dark silhouettes commanded the space there, posture as triumphant as if they'd already won the war. Piper could make out the shape of Cyclonis' spiked cowl all the way from the air. The tall figure beside her had his energy sword sheathed without a care in the world. They thought they were home free. Piper ground her teeth together. They would soon realize that they were mistaken.

Marta took her ride into a banking turn, coming around to the top deck of the warship. "End of the line," she called to Piper.

The wind cut through Piper's hair as she levered herself up to crouch in her seat, leaning out in preparation to jump from the craft. She gripped Cyclonis' staff tightly in one hand. With the other she grasped Marta's shoulder, whether to steady herself or steady the grieving Rex Guardian, she didn't know.

The warship passed underneath them. Piper jumped.

For a moment she was weightless, breathless, and then she hit the deck. She rolled to lessen the impact and came up on one knee, brandishing the crystal staff. Her teeth were bared. Thirty yards away, Cyclonis and the Dark Ace jolted into defensive positions.

"Hello, Piper," Cyclonis called across the distance. Her voice was like the hiss of steel on steel. "I'm surprised you're alive! But no matter; we'll have you with your precious Aerrow before long." She gestured to the Dark Ace and herself began to withdraw to the stern.

Piper was screaming with rage before she even began her charge. Cyclonis would not escape her this time.

…


	21. The Interceptors

Hunter woke to pain.

As soon as consciousness returned to him, he wished it would leave again. His whole body ached deeply. Eyes squeezed shut, he tried to assess the damage. Daggers were emanating from his shoulder, and his arm felt numb where it was crumpled underneath his body. Broken? Dislocated? He didn't know. On top of that, his neck was intensely sore. His head was pounding. A spot just above his hip was burning with a unique pain that he dreaded to identify.

Inhaling the smell of smoke, he remembered his situation. The battle was not done. He had to get back on his feet; back in the air. Hunter gathered his strength to move.

Waves of pain made him grind his teeth together and groan. A sudden stab of panic raced through his stomach. What if the battle _was_ done? What if the portal was closed, and Hunter was left behind? _Again._

His breath, already strained, began to come faster and shorter. He could not live another four lonely years here, not after coming so close to home. He had to get back. He had to see the blue Atmosian sky again. He had to see…

Hunter did not let himself finish the thought. He forced himself up onto his hands and knees, keeping his weight off of the injured shoulder. The burning place in his hip screamed in protest. He bent his head to examine it and found a wet smear of blood. Touching it gently, he identified the source of the pain. A piece of shrapnel the size of his hand was buried just beneath the join of his leg and pelvis. The blood flowed slowly right now, but Hunter feared that would not last if he were to remove the object. He had to live with it for now.

He looked up from the wound and scanned his surroundings. He was on a table of stone perhaps twenty feet across, which dropped off sharply on one side and ran into mounds of rubble on the other. The remains of the Skimmer were strewn across the table, punctuated here and there by burn streaks in the stone. The majority of the motorcycle function was intact, but the front tire and the wings made up most of the smoking shrapnel scattered about. Likely also what was embedded in Hunter's hip.

Crumpled by the rear tire of the wrecked craft was the pilot who'd saved him. Aviation goggles and a mask hid her features from him, making it difficult to tell if she was alive or dead. Hunter knew that he owed her his life. He hoped it hadn't cost hers.

He forced himself to his feet, trying to dull his mind to the pain in this body, and stumbled across the stone to her. He kicked aside piles of metal scrap with his good leg so he could kneel beside her with a grunt. At this distance he could now see that she was indeed breathing, if shallowly. A knot in his stomach partially unwound. Looking over the rest of her, he was further relieved to find no life-threatening wounds on her body, either.

However, brushing aside her soot-stained hair, Hunter laid eyes on a nasty mark on her forehead. One of her goggle lenses was shattered, likely from the same impact. Her cheek was dotted with wounds from the broken glass, some still shining with bits of shrapnel. Beneath the broken lens her eye was closed.

Hunter spared a glance up at the sky, scanning for any Cyclonians that may fly over the area. He doubted he could defend them both from an enemy if their cover was blown.

None were near. The sky was still blotched with smoke and blaster fire, though most of the light dogfighting had moved through the portal into Atmosian skies in anticipation of the warships' arrival. Fear shot through him at the thought that the Sky Knights might be too few. The forces of good were running out of opposition to the massive war vessels barreling toward their homeland. The battle needed a miraculous turn of tides, or Atmosia would be crushed. He cursed at his bad luck: rendered grounded when his friends needed him most.

His angry exclamation made the pilot before him stir. A soft groan accompanied her return to consciousness as she lifted her hands to her goggles. Hunter watched as her slender fingers explored the hole in her lens and jerked away from a particularly sharp edge. She mumbled a curse of her own, beginning to lift her goggles gingerly off her face.

Hunter quickly reached with his good arm, cautioning her, "Careful. You've got a nasty knock on your head." He helped her remove the gear without brushing the wound.

The pilot's eyes were still squeezed shut, brow furrowed against some pain, Hunter was sure. "Gah, you're right," she spat in a low, accented voice, lightly touching the bruising wound. "Blasted Cyclonians. I'm sure my ride is…" She opened her eyes to look around for her Skimmer and assess the damage, simultaneously pulling the dusty aviation mask from her lower face. Eyes flicking over the ride, she nodded creakily. "Yep. Destroyed."

But Hunter was not looking at the Skyride. His backside hit the stone heavily as a rush of black spots filled his vision. He could hardly feel the pain it sent into his hip and up his shoulder.

His thoughts were tunneling. Everything grew fuzzy except the face of the pilot in front of him.

His hand went to his chest to make sure his heart was still beating.

His mouth had fallen open. Now it tried to form words, but they evaded him.

The pilot looked at him for the first time, quizzically. Those green eyes, jewel green, did not take long to widen in realization.

Could it be…?

Then they turned annoyed.

"Bloody blazes, I'm still out cold," she said. "I thought I was done with these silly dreams." She looked down at herself distastefully, perhaps preparing to pinch her arm back into reality.

Hunter couldn't make his tongue work to correct her. Instead, he tested his own reality.

He reached out and stopped her hand. He knew it was his imagination, but he thought he felt a spark of energy accompany her touch. He met her gaze when she jerked her head up to look at him again, wincing from the sudden motion. Her eyes were unmistakable. Beneath them, her smooth skin was dirty and chafed from the crash, but still hers. Her lips were quirked slightly with a familiar hint of confidence.

_It can't be._

He raised his hand to her hair, which was blackened with soot. She didn't protest as he took a lock between his fingers and rubbed the dark dust out, revealing the violet underneath.

His hand fell away. "I never thought…" he croaked, finally finding his voice.

Her fingers brushed his before they dropped back to his knee. Her touch was real. She pulled away as if stung. She too was looking at him with a slack jaw. "It really is you, isn't it?" she said softly. Her English lilt, the same as his, struck a chord in his heart.

Hunter nodded very slowly.

Starling shook her head as if trying to dispel disbelief. She covered her mouth with both hands and blew air between her fingers in a nervous gesture. She shook her head again. Her next words came out in a tumble. "Forgive me for being rude, I— I just don't know what to—" A sheen of tears were visible in her eyes. "I thought—" Her voice broke.

Hunter came onto his knees and moved forward, bringing his arm about her back. Starling crumpled into his embrace without another word. Her fingers grasped a metal plate on his skysuit and her head pressed into his good shoulder as if she feared he would vanish from before her. Tears escaped her eyes and tracked through the grime on her cheeks.

Hunter knew that in all the time he'd known Starling, he hadn't seen her cry once. She never so much as admitted an emotion to her teammates, but here she was, reduced to infrequent sobs as she reunited with her lost companion. Hunter had been torn apart by his squadron's fate on Terra Mesa and his stay on the Far Side, an isolated outsider. But he had never known how it might have affected Starling. She was there in the aftermath. He couldn't imagine believing that his whole squadron was gone, going through the pain and grief of mourning in a place where all the other Sky Knight squadrons still filled the skies together, healing from old wounds…only to have them torn back open in the most unlikely of circumstances. His pain would never measure up to hers.

"I'm so sorry," Starling uttered, voice wracked with emotion. "I should have looked for you, I should have gotten on my Skimmer and—"

He shushed her quickly. "The Wastelands mean death," he whispered hoarsely. "Everyone knows that. There was no way you could have known I survived." Starling swiped her tears away with a clenched fist. He could tell that she was angry at herself, and he yearned to make her believe him. "You did everything you could. None of this is on you."

"How are you not furious, Hunter?" she cried, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "Having to drag yourself across the bloody world to a place that's not your home, live here with no hope of return, because your Sky Knight didn't—"

"Starling," he said. She closed her eyes tightly, grimacing as she felt more tears fall. He took her hands. "Repton was responsible for the fate of the Interceptors."

"He's dead."

"—So the debt has been paid. Look," He waited until her green eyes cracked open and reluctantly met his, "we are here now. The Interceptors are not gone. You're still my Sky Knight, and I'll still follow you anywhere. You have not failed. Don't punish yourself any more. Please."

Her expression grew softer as she faced his earnest eyes. She squeezed his fingers. "You can't make me believe that I didn't play in a part in losing my own squadron. But…" She looked down at their joined hands and her voice grew quiet, "maybe it is time to let some things go. And start some things anew."

Hunter watched her for a long moment while she sat with her head bowed. So many things he'd tried to ignore, so many things he'd tried to suppress were suddenly torn back to the surface by Starling's presence. Her eyes… He'd never thought he might look into those jewellike eyes again.

As if reading his thoughts, Starling raised her head and fixed him with her striking gaze. Her eyes roamed his face for a while impassively. Hunter didn't know whether to break the silence, or let her. Finally her lips parted and she said softly, "You need a haircut."

Hunter felt a smile crinkle his eyes briefly. "I also need a doctor," he remarked, becoming aware of the radiating pain in his shoulder again. He winced and tried to move his fingers, which were unresponsive.

Starling's gaze flicked to his arm as he reached to touch it gingerly. "What is it? Broken?" she questioned, becoming businesslike. She raised her hands to the painful spot and he shied away. She turned her palms out reassuringly. "It might hurt, but if I can find out the problem, I might be able to fix it."

Hunter reluctantly leaned back under her touch. Starling's attention was focused on the wound as she felt around his shoulder and the arm beneath. Her eyes were sharp, and Hunter noticed the way she chewed her lower lip as she worked. "Undo your collar," she said after a bit. Hunter cleared his throat uncomfortably, but did as she asked so that she could examine the surface of the injury. He winced when her fingers appraised it.

Then Starling sat back, saying, "Dislocated shoulder. Can you move your arm?"

Hunter tried. His hand was numb, and the rest of his arm felt weak but would respond sluggishly if he exerted enough energy.

"So, not really," Starling murmured to herself. "All right. Here we go." She came forward again and took his wrist and his elbow in her hands. She looked at him briefly and registered the creases of anxiety between his brows. "Don't worry. It'll only take a jiffy." She offered a weak encouraging smile. Hunter nodded nervously.

Starling sucked in a deep breath and all at once lifted Hunter's dangling arm up and slightly behind him, so his hand was near his neck. Hunter cried out at the burst of renewed pain that accompanied the motion, feeling tears come to his tightly closed eyes as the bones of his shoulder ground in the socket. The pain was more intense even than when he'd first awakened. Then, his shoulder gave a pop, and it rapidly drained away. With a rush of pins and needles he felt feeling return to his arm. "Ah," he grunted, rubbing the limb with his other hand. He peered under his skysuit at the injured spot, and it looked no worse than his good shoulder. Rolling the arm in its socket, he said, "That's much better. Thanks."

"No problem." Starling smiled at him and something novel passed between them for a small moment. Hunter felt as if the four years he'd languished here were nothing- a mere second on the ticking clock of his life -now that he'd found his Sky Knight again. The sight of Starling's beautiful face, even scarred and filthy, was enough to fill a void in him.

Then the moment passed. Starling looked away, focusing regretfully on the ruins of her Skyride. "I just wish _that_ were as easy a fix…"

Hunter followed her gaze and grimly agreed. He knew that there wasn't much hope for the violet-plated Skimmer. "What now?" he questioned. Looking to her for orders, he realized that not much had changed since the fateful day on Terra Mesa. He was still just the young crystal expert. Still waiting for Starling to give him his mission.

She shook her head, at a loss, looking up at the sky above them. "Just dragons and Cyclonians as far as the eye can see. Looks like there's little hope of a rescue for us."

Hunter, scanning the sky similarly, could not argue. His old fears returned. Was he destined to stay here forever? Though, looking at Starling, he figured that it would not be so bad if not alone.

Then he stopped, the adrenaline of an idea rushing through him. Hunter surged to his feet, keeping his weight on his good leg. He reached down to pull Starling up beside him. She complied with a startled, "Oh!" but looked up at his excited expression quizzically.

"What?" she demanded.

A rare grin cracked across Hunter's face. "What did you just say?" he urged her.

"I said, what?"

"Before that!" he laughed, taking hold of her elbows, prompting her.

"Nothing but dragons and Cyclonians…?" Her eyes went wide in horror. " _No._ "

Hunter cocked his head and shrugged, "Can you think of a better option?"

"Well-" Starling spluttered. She looked this way and that, palms spread as if grasping for an answer. "I-" She looked back at him. "No, but you can't possibly be suggesting-"

"We're going to ride a dragon out of here."

…


	22. Skeleton Ship

"Dude, where's the rest of you!"

Finn was grasping his hair in hysteria, staring down at the battered and burned Stork who lay in the cabbage compartment. Seeing what Finn meant, Radarr jumped in fright and curled himself around Finn's wrist. Stork was sitting up with a sour expression on his face. The only clue to his reaction to the Condor's untimely death was in his eyes: shadows of sorrow hid behind the jet black irises.

Now he bared his teeth in a grimace at Finn and answered, "You try surviving a massive aerial crash -while surrounded by raging flames, Cyclonians, and dragons- and coming out unscathed!" He wiggled his legs, looking down at them somberly.

His right leg was gone up to his calf. The wound did not bleed, as it must have been cauterized by the explosions. The left foot was similarly missing the first two toes.

Junko had to clap his hand over his mouth quickly to avoid vomiting at the sight. His cheeks puffed dangerously and Radarr chirped furiously at him until Junko turned and unloaded his cargo outside the hatch instead of on his friends. "Sorry," Junko said weakly as he turned back around, wiping his mouth. "Must have been those cabbages getting to me."

Finn looked at him sideways. Junko shared the glance, wincing. They both knew it wasn't the cabbages.

Finn returned his gaze to Stork, feeling sickness rise into his own gut. He was glad Stork was alive, but couldn't stop staring at the burned-up stump that used to be a healthy green foot.. Radarr was sniffing around the wound, now, apparently having similar thoughts. "So, uh…" Finn began. He had to clear his throat to keep his voice steady. "Wow, man, what are we going to do? Can you walk?"

Stork sighed and shook his head. He seemed deflated. His shoulders were bowed, and his head low. "For once, I'm having a hard time thinking of a worse disaster than this," he said.

"No!" Junko cried, straightening up so fast he banged his head on the short metal ceiling. Rubbing his head, he continued earnestly. "You can think of something, Stork! This isn't so bad. Right, Finn?" He looked at his fellow Storm Hawk promptingly.

"Uh, yeah, right!" Threw in Finn quickly once Radarr poked him in the ribs. "Cyclonis could win, and we'd all be dead!"

"I guess," conceded Stork, "if we were all dead, things would be slightly worse."

"Exactly! So don't you get down on yourself, Stork," said Junko.

"There's still plenty that can go wrong," Finn agreed.

Stork looked up at them, a tiny smile twitching on his lips. "Thanks, guys. That makes me feel...better."

Finn and Junko beamed at him, and Radarr gave two thumbs up.

"Except, I still can't walk." In response to the others' crestfallen expressions, Stork held up a finger. "I might have a solution to that, though. Take me to my room!" He assumed a regal expression and extended his arms, presumably for Finn and Junko to grab.

The boys exchanged a look. "You want us to carry you there?" Junko asked, scratching his head.

"Do you have a better idea?" Stork said with an edge in his voice.

Finn scooted back to the edge of the hatch and re-examined the area. On the near side of the room, where naked metal beams didn't span the width of the bridge, most of the floor was gone. It was like that for several levels until the floor of the hold. The other side of the room was better, but barely. A few bulkheads remained between the ladder to the hold and the front of the bridge. It looked as if one or two of the cabins might remain, but Finn was not hopeful. He looked back at Stork. "I'm not so sure you still _have_ a room."

Stork laughed shrilly, which made the others jump. Was his brain fried as well as his leg?

"My room is just as reinforced as this cabbage vault! The whole Condor would be turned to dust and it would remain." He looked rather proud of that fact.

Radarr cocked his head and growled. Junko had a similar thought. "Meaning, all of our rooms would be ash too but your cabbages would be okay?" He looked hurt.

"That's sick, dude," Finn agreed.

Stork waved his arms. "It's only for emergencies, of course," he backtracked, laughing uncomfortably. "You all have your Skimmers to escape on!"

"Right," said Finn flatly, raising his eyebrows. "Anyway. We better get a move on, guys." He looked at his wrist to check the Timepulse. "I don't know how long that portal will be open."

Stork was looking at him with his lip curled in confusion. "You know you're not wearing a watch."

"Junko, grab his other arm!" Finn ordered as if Stork had not spoken. Radarr scampered up onto Stork's back as Finn bent lower and looped Stork's arm around his shoulders, preparing to lift. The Merb's disgruntled expression quickly morphed to one of excitement. Stork laughed crazily as Junko grasped his other arm and he rose a few inches into the air.

"I've always wondered what it would feel like to have slaves do my bidding," he declared, swinging his maimed feet in the air like a child.

"Bro, chill out," grunted Finn. He and Junko were stepping cautiously out onto the exposed bridge beams, balancing Stork between them.

"Whoa-oh!" Junko teetered and wheeled his free arm, trying to regain his balance after a small misstep. Finn grimaced, desperately hoping Junko would not drag all three of them into freefall.

The Wallop steadied himself and grinned sheepishly at the others.

"I didn't survive a catastrophic carrier ship crash just so you could kill me with your two left feet!" Stork cried. His words were sharp, but his voice trembled slightly. Radarr was clinging to his head, traumatized.

"Sorry," moaned Junko, lowering his head to watch his step more carefully.

The three made slow progress, edging shoulder to shoulder along the exposed support struts toward the hatch, Stork dangling between his two teammates. Every once in a while, a beam made a loud protest against their combined weight, and they stopped, holding their breaths. Even Stork could not reassure them that the skeleton Condor was trusty enough to support them at this rate.

A huge amount of tension left the air when Junko reached the ladder into the body of the ship and secured his grip on the frame. He looked back up at Finn, who was crouching awkwardly in an attempt to keep Stork level between them.

"Stork, get on my back," Junko suggested. "It'll be easier to carry you down."

Though Finn looked relieved at the idea, he hesitated. "Will the ladder hold you guys?"

Junko looked down the ladder, glanced at Stork, and then examined his own body. "Sure it will," he said with false confidence, which the others could see right through. "You take Radarr. C'mere, Stork."

Finn didn't like their odds, but he could see no other option. He helped Stork switch his grip from his shoulder to Junko's and made sure the Merb was holding fast before he let go. Radarr hopped the gap between them and found a place on Finn's shoulder. Now bearing Junko and Stork, the ladder groaned and shrieked, but it remained standing.

"Good to go," Finn said, giving a thumbs-up, which Radarr imitated.

"Hang on, Stork," Junko cried. He started down the ladder.

Finn bit his nails as Junko descended one rung at a time, causing the frame to protest loudly. Junko maintained a quick but steady pace that kept his weight from overburdening a single section of the ladder for too long. As he went, Stork kept a tight grip around his shoulders with both greenish hands, grimacing and whining but refraining from saying anything too morbid. Finn gave him props for that.

Two, three, and finally four levels came between Finn and his friends at the bottom of the ladder. With a final creak of the rungs and an echoing _clang_ , Junko and Stork reached the floor of the hold.

"Okay, Finn!" Junko called up to him. He let Stork slide off his back and hobble to the side of the ladder so that his hands were free to help Finn if need be.

Finn looked at Radarr. "You go down first, dude. I'll bring up the rear."

Radarr chirped unsurely, but Finn shooed him along. The furry beast skittered across to the ladder and took hold of the outer frame with all four feet. Finn whistled, impressed, as he slid down the length of the structure without touching a rung and hopped onto Junko's arm at the bottom.

Relieved that the majority of the endeavor was done, Finn climbed onto the ladder less cautiously than Junko had and started down. He skipped a rung every few steps, anxious to get down as soon as he could. He hadn't checked outside, but his gut told him they were running out of time to beat Cyclonia.

The frame wasn't screaming at his passage like it had with Junko, but a tinny rattling met Finn's ears instead. He hadn't noticed it until about two floors down. The further he descended, the louder and more frenzied the rattling sounded. "Hey guys," he called over his shoulder, "do you hear something?"

Stork suddenly sucked in a wheezing breath and then sneezed. "Stupid Far Side allergies," he muttered.

"I heard that!" Junko announced helpfully. Radarr swatted him in the head.

"No, it's like some kinda rattle. Like a messed-up engine," Finn said.

"I'd say the Condor's engine is pretty messed up," Stork growled.

"Is that it?" asked Junko.

Finn shook his head. "The engine shouldn't be running. I swear, it's like right here." He reached out with one hand toward a cluster of pipes running near his head.

"Wait, those are the pipes to the- !"

As soon as Finn's fingers came in contact with the pipes, the rattling stopped. "- mess hall appliances."

The tube burst open with an explosion of steam and a roar like a hurricane wind. Finn was blasted off the ladder instantly by the forceful cloud of vapor. He yelled as he tumbled end over end the last twenty feet toward the ground. Junko ran to catch him.

Stork covered his eyes as Finn's cry was cut short. The massive _bang_ of his landing reverberated through the hold and the entire rest of the damaged ship.

When Stork moved his fingers aside, the first thing he saw was Junko standing a good five feet from the prone Finn, a chunk of pipe clutched in his hands. Junko peered back over his shoulder at the Merb, tears in his eyes. He held up the bit of pipe he had caught instead of Finn. "Sorry," he whispered wretchedly.

Radarr dashed right past Junko and skidded to a stop by Finn. The wingman groaned unconsciously as Radarr levered his furry body beneath Finn and helped him roll onto his back. The blue beast chirruped worriedly as he looked over the damage. Finn's face was a raw pink color where the steam had blasted him, except for a spreading bruise over his right brow and cheek from the fall. His eyes were closed. At least one of his wrists was surely broken. His nose looked wrong as well. Radarr beckoned the others over.

"He's dead, isn't he," Stork said morosely.

"And it's all my fault! Stupid, stupid." Junko began to knock himself in the forehead with the piece of damaged pipe still in his hand.

Radarr turned on both of them irritably. He chirped with vigor, motioning to Finn and then down the hall toward the remaining cabins. Lastly he looked at Stork expectantly, crossing his arms.

"You think I can fix him?" Stork exclaimed. "I build machines, not body parts."

Junko looked at him. "What about- ?"

"Oh. Oh, yeah, that," Stork said, raising a finger. A frightening smirk was spreading across his face. "We have to get to my cabin."

"We were already going to your cabin," whined Junko, "except now I have two of you to carry!"

Radarr growled at the emotional Wallop, his yellow eyes flashing. At this point, he would have no nonsense.

Junko looked defeated and sighed. He shuffled over to Stork and bent down to sling him over one shoulder. Next he approached Finn, more gingerly lifting him to cradle across his chest. The burden didn't physically strain him, but he assumed a put-upon look anyway. "Okay, let's go."

Radarr scampered down the hall ahead of them, taking a turn that would lead them to the center of the ship where the living quarters lay. Junko tromped after him with his cargo, stepping carefully to avoid weak and burned spots in the metal floor.

As he rounded the bend Junko found that, as Stork had said, the pilot's cabin stood intact like an ironbound escape pod, while the surrounding rooms were reduced to charred husks full of damaged personal belongings. As they navigated the burned-out hall and stopped in front of Stork's door, Junko set Stork down on his feet (- foot -) a little more roughly was necessary.

Stork squeaked as he landed painfully on his tender appendages. He shot Junko a look. "For your information, I reinforced only my room because I didn't have the supplies for the rest. In an emergency, everyone would take cover in here." He hobbled into the space after Radarr, who'd pried the door open enough for them to pass. "Plus, the explosives."

Junko stopped short, eyes wide. He looked around nervously before following Stork into his room.

Inside, it looked as if a skycraft parts shop and a professional kitchen had both thrown up onto every surface in sight. Stork's room was the biggest of any of the Storm Hawks,' doubling as his lab and workroom as well as a bunk. Hammers and wrenches, nuts, bolts and rivets, Skimmer chassis, metal piping, buckets of chemicals, deactivated blaster bolts, pots, pistons, mixers, and tires were among the objects scattered around the floor, hanging on the walls, or resting one of the four long workbenches that spanned the room. His bed was bolted to the wall in one corner. Beneath it was a dresser whose top was cluttered with crystals.

"Wow," breathed Junko, who had never been into Stork's cabin. "Where did this all come from?"

Stork glanced at him. "Everywhere." He reached behind the door and pulled forth a pogo stick. Hopping across to the wall nearest his bed, he collected a few tools and then bent his head over the out-of-place toy. Moments later, the springs were loosened, lending the stick a few extra inches and an easier bounce, and the handlebars were now a single entity swathed in new padding. Stork replaced the tools and tucked the pogo stick under his right armpit: a perfect patchwork crutch.

"Put him on the bunk," Stork pointed as he turned back to the others. "Hopefully he doesn't have...fleas." His eye twitched. Stork went across and waded into the sea of junk on the side of the room opposite the bed.

Radarr hopped up onto the bunk before Junko reached it with Finn. Using his tail, he flicked bits of machinery and lint off the green blankets to give Finn a comfortable landing. Junko nearly tripped on his way to the bunk, but kept his feet and offered an embarrassed smile.

Finn came to as Junko dropped him gently onto the sheets. His eyelids fluttered briefly, and then his eyes shot wide open and he sat up with a wild yell. "Wha- ! Ah, man, my head is killing me." He reached to cradle with head with his hands. "Ow! And my wrists!" He jerked his busted wrist away from his head and accidentally struck his nose on the way. "Shoot! And my nose!" A not-so-pleasant stream of exclamations exited his mouth as he let Radarr push him onto his back again to rest his head. "What happened?"

"A pipe busted," said Junko, wringing his hands. "It blew you off the ladder and I tried to catch you, but...I missed." Again he was beginning to look miserable.

"Don't worry about it, man. I shoulda left that stinkin' pipe alone anyhow. Knew it looked like bad news."

"You're not mad at me?" asked Junko hopefully.

"Pftt," said Finn, "nah. Nothing you could have done." He winced in pain and Radarr patted his shoulder with one paw comfortingly.

Stork returned to them, balancing a box under the arm without a crutch. He placed it on the bed and began unpacking the contents. Junko looked more and more concerned as Stork pulled from the box a few bottles of chemicals, an egg whisk, a wrench, a bunch of cloths, a frightening mask, and more.

"Uhh...what is all that for?" ventured Junko.

"Watch and learn, grasshoppers, watch and learn," said Stork without taking his eyes from his tools.

Radarr picked up the grimacing, painted wood mask and held it over his face while he stomped around Finn like a demonic jungle critter.

"Stop that!" cried Stork, snatching it from him. "That's a priceless piece of Merbian history. Now," he took a shimmery blue crystal from the corner of his box and laid it beside a plastic bowl. "When exposed to the right combination of lignocaine and Terra Mesa cactus gel, frost crystals take on a unique set of properties…" he dumped said chemicals into his plastic bowl as he spoke, and swirled them together. Then he picked up the frost crystal in a pair of tongs and dropped it slowly into the mixture. To everyone's shock, as soon as the crystal touched the surface it lost its solid makeup and instead seemed to melt into a jelly-like cloud that blended lazily into the rest of the substance. It fizzed and crackled icily a bit as Stork picked up the egg whisk and went to work mixing the crystal jelly into the chemical amalgam. "...including a liquid state and the soothing of burns. Finn, eyes closed."

Finn had just enough time to squeeze his eyes shut before Stork slapped two handfuls of the strange burn cream onto his seared skin. The marksman clenched his teeth when the frosty paste first hit him, but soon he relaxed. "Man, that stuff really works," he remarked.

"Mouth closed!" snapped Stork. Finn pressed his lips together so the Merb could apply the mixture to the lower half of his face as well.

When Stork stepped back, wiping his hands on one of the cloths he'd brought, Finn opened his mouth again. "Thanks a lot, Stork, that feels better. You're a miracle worker."

"I'm not done yet," said Stork. Despite his attempt to sound sour, the others could tell he was pleased with the compliment.

The rest of the seemingly random objects he'd gathered from his heap of a tool collection soon played key roles in doctoring Finn's other injuries. His wrist was splinted between a couple of travel-size wrenches, his nose was cured of pain, and his skin didn't feel so raw anymore. Lastly Stork offered him the hideous Merbian mask to protect his tender nose, but Finn declined profusely.

"Now that that's done," said Stork with more than a little satisfaction, brushing his hands together casually, "Time to find what we're _really_ here for."

Junko and Radarr exchanged a nervous look. Finn seemed hurt. "Patching me up wasn't what we were ' _really_ here for?'" he whined at Stork's back as the Merb limped back into his sea of supplies.

Stork waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. That too."

Finn pouted, but Junko hardly noticed as he leaned over and stage whispered, "What are we really here for?"

Radarr grumbled and skittered across Stork's worktables to land at the Merb's side, where he helped Stork pull something out from under a pile of chassis scraps in the corner. The object was fairly large, squarish and covered by a ratty gray tarp, preventing the boys from deducing what it might be. When Radarr tried to sneak a peek under the shroud Stork slapped his paw away with an exclamation of "Uh-uh uh!"

Then Stork turned around to face Junko and Finn, a disturbing grin on his face. With his free hand he gripped the edge of the tarp, preparing to tear it away.

Radarr scampered back to Junko, climbed his leg and emerged on one of the Wallop's beefy shoulders, eyes wide in anticipation of Stork's surprise.

"Prepare to witness a masterpiece!" Stork cried maniacally. With this shout, he whipped the tarp away from his creation and tossed it over his shoulder, staring proudly at what lay underneath.

"A…"

"A rocket wheelchair?" spluttered Junko.

"That is so _awesome!_ " Finn cried, scooting off the bunk to get a closer look. His face was comical as his blue eyes bulged from his blue gel mask and his swollen red nose. The contraption was indeed a wheelchair with thick, rugged tires and two massive afterburners housed under the seat. A harness-style seatbeat offered some semblance of safety. The armrests shined with new polish.

Radarr's head was cocked in utter confusion. Junko mimicked his gesture. "What in Atmosia do you need with a rocket wheelchair, Stork?" he asked.

Stork, offended that Junko was not as impressed with his invention as Finn, smacked his forehead with his free hand. When he looked back up, his eyes were twitching. "I'm missing a leg, you dunderhead! How else am I supposed to fly?"

Junko looked around at the burned-out Condor, and then at Stork's maimed lower body. "I guess you're right," he conceded, still scratching his head, "but why did you make it in the first place?"

Stork held up a finger, slightly mollified by the opportunity to talk more about his masterpiece. "Well, this beauty was born around the time Aerrow fell into the engine and had to spend three days in a body cast." He crossed his arms. "Didn't seem very likely that Piper would be able to heal him after that." A shrug. "Guess I was wrong. But that meant I got to keep it!"

Finn pointed with his unsplinted hand to the monster propulsion system under the seat. "You sure this thing is safe?"

Stork shrugged again. "Relatively."

"Cool! When do we get to ride it?" Finn cried, grinning.

Radarr shook his head in exasperation, chirruping under his breath. What had he gotten himself into?

"Ha!" Stork laughed sharply. "Not _you,_ me! There should be enough fuel in those boosters to get me up to Master Cyclonis's warship, and then I can repay that little swamp leech for what she did to my Condor!"

"We're going with you," said Junko valiantly.

"Well, I figured," Stork said. "How else would I get past all the Cyclonian scum?"

"Sounds like a plan," decided Finn. "Let's go kick some Cyclonian butt."

Stork hobbled over to the wheelchair and plopped down in the seat, sending up small plumes of dust. He stuck his pogo stick crutch through a loop behind the seat back and then faced front again. "Onward!" he declared, pointing commandingly toward the door. With the other hand he subtly moved a control stick on the armrest, and the chair shot forward. The others hurried to keep up with him as he rocketed out into the remains of the Condor's halls.

…


	23. Bloody Lunatic

"Bloody lunatic," Starling muttered between clenched teeth for the twelfth time.

They were dead, she thought. They were going to die.

Hunter was so proud of the plan he'd cobbled together from the scraps of their situation, he was bouncing about on his toes like an excited child, but Starling had made it known to him how she felt about it. She spat the same phrase a thirteenth time, just for good measure, before falling silent as she worked. Hunter had her making some alterations to her precious set of nunchucks while he took inventory of his crystals. The plan would not work without it, he said.

Looking up through her eyelashes to study him discreetly, Starling admitted to herself that she was not truly angry at him. She just didn't know what to do, she hated feeling helpless, and Hunter happened to be the nearest target for her blame.

The tension in her shoulders eased as she watched him crouch over his crystal bag, handling each stone like a precious bird's egg. The angles of his face were familiar, yet not. The way his brows knit in concentration seemed as if part of a long-forgotten dream. After all these years, Starling still could not believe that Hunter was alive.

She bit her lip as a knot of emotion threatened to break free from her control. Inwardly she scolded herself. She'd already cried in front of him; that was bad enough.

For so long, she'd been Starling, the lone wolf. Starling, the cool-headed pilot who had no need of companionship. Starling, the survivor. Starling, the unbreakable.

Now what was she? She was Starling, but she was no longer lonely. She no longer felt so unbreakable, either. Her wildest dreams and her worst nightmares were coming true hand in hand. She wasn't sure how to handle it. Her heart ached, her mind was shaken, and she was crumbling under the pressure. Maybe she'd been too cool and collected for too long. Hunter's miraculous return was reminding her that she was just as human and just as vulnerable as the next chap. Starling lowered her head, hiding the stupid, girlish tears that hovered in her eyes again.

 _Pull yourself together, you twit!_ she thought fiercely.

"Are you about ready?" Hunter's voice coaxed her from her internal struggle and Starling raised her head, quickly sniffing back her tears. She hadn't noticed him approach. With a jolt she realized that probably meant she wouldn't have noticed him catch her stare, either. She cleared her throat, dismissing a twinge of embarrassment.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she affirmed with a characteristic wry smile. She opened her hands and showed him her altered nunchucks.

Hunter nodded appreciatively. Then he raised his gray eyes to hers, and the look in them brought back a flood of memories. Starling remembered the first time he'd flown with the whole squadron, excited out of his mind to be the youngest Interceptor ever; the day she'd thanked him for installing more powerful Hanzo crystals in her trusty nunchucks; the moment he'd received his official title as crystal expert. She realized that this was probably the happiest Hunter had looked in four years.

"Let's do it, then," he said, barely suppressing his eagerness. He hefted a pouch, which jingled with the glassy sound of crystals colliding. "Frost crystals to battle the dragon's fire breath, once I lure it down," he said, passing her a pale blue stone, "and, in case we need it, a paralyzer crystal to hold the beast still while you secure it with those." He indicated her nunchucks, but did not entrust her with the paralyzer crystal. He'd explained his plan once before, but he seemed to be reiterating it as much for his own benefit as hers. "Only catch is, we have to touch the paralyzer crystal to the target for it to work."

That was new. Starling's jaw dropped. "Stop right there— _touch_ it?" she exclaimed. "We'll be getting within arm's length of a dragon _before_ it's immobilized?"

Hunter grimaced and held his palms up apologetically. "That or make a fine throw while it's distracted."

"You really are a bloody lunatic," Starling said flatly.

"It's the best I could come up with," Hunter admitted, eyes downcast.

Starling was quick to console him, sad to see the old excitement fade from his expression. "It's all right. I don't have any better ideas." She touched his arm reassuringly. "We'll make it work."

Hunter looked back up at her. "I hope we can."

The weight of his steel-gray gaze made Starling think that he meant more than just their dragon-wrangling plan. Her fingers unconsciously tightened on his bicep. Hunter smiled faintly, holding her eyes. _Holy Hanzo crystals, I don't know what to do,_ Starling thought for the thousandth time.

Hunter stepped away. His head was tipped back to search the skies for a target. "Get those nunchucks ready, Sky Knight," he said. "If we play this right, maybe we won't even need the paralyzer crystal."

"Not likely," Starling replied as she ranged out toward the rubble pile at the rear of their stone shelf. She hoped dearly that the flat surface was large enough to hold a dragon. Climbing up over the uneven stones, Starling took deep breaths to slow her pounding heart. It had been a while since she'd done something quite this rash.

Starling found a pair of boulders that leaned against one another so as to form a shelter in between and slid inside the crevice. Her shoulder plates scuffed the rock on either side, but she fit. There she would wait until Hunter immobilized the dragon with the paralyzer crystal or until he called for her help. He had repeatedly stressed the importance of her staying hidden until absolutely necessary, so that she did not make herself a target or cause the dragon to take off too soon. It was with great reluctance that Starling agreed. She was unwilling to lose Hunter so soon after finding him again.

She clutched her frost crystal to her chest like a talisman of protection. It gave off a chilly white mist from between her fingers. From her perch she watched Hunter pace the table of rock below, kicking the remaining scraps of her Skyride to the edge of the rubble pile. They'd already moved the majority of the wreck out of the way. Hunter wanted the greatest space possible to maneuver once the dragon landed.

Once it was clear, Hunter reached into his crystal bag and removed a deep red crystal. Starling recognized it as a Cyclonian firebolt crystal and her nose wrinkled with distaste. As she watched, Hunter planted his feet firmly on the rock slab and aimed the red crystal into the sky. Back in the day, she knew he would have preferred his trusty bow to do this job, but he'd apparently lost it between then and now.

Hunter's hands glowed with a blinding pinkish-white radiance which grew, grew, and finally discharged with a loud zap of power. A bolt of red energy launched from his grip into the sky. Starling's view was blocked by her stone shelter, but she heard a distant cry from above.

Hunter wiped his brow with one sleeve and fired into the air again, twice. Starling saw that his face was a mixture of fear and excitement as another shriek rang out in response, closer now. She gripped her frost crystal tightly. Would it be enough to combat whatever this screaming beast was going to throw at them? Her head pounded with the deafening volume of the dragon's voice.

Hunter fired a final shot and then ran for cover, clutching his wounded hip. He ducked behind a low mound of rubble at the opposite side of the stone table. It was hardly large enough to shield his crouching form- Hunter peered over the stones easily to track the descent of his quarry.

Starling still could not see the beast, but she heard the reverberating roar of the wind in its wings as it flapped down toward them and the piercing cries it grated out from deep in its throat. Wind from its wings buffeted the stone table and sent pebbles skittering over the edges and dust billowing up. Across the way, Hunter squinted into the storm and gripped the rocks around him to avoid being thrown back. A gout of white flame shot suddenly from above and scorched the surface of the table black, blocking Starling's view of her companion for a moment. Her heart was climbing into her throat as she watched the display. All this, and the beast had not even landed yet. There was no way they were going to survive. The flames abated, and she again laid eyes on a shaken but unharmed Hunter. He looked up toward her hiding place and briefly their eyes met. His were wild. You and your bloody ideas, she thought fiercely.

The dragon landed. Not on the wide table of stone, as they'd expected— it landed right on top of Starling's hiding spot.

The earth shuddered under its weight. The rocks leaning together over Starling's head groaned and crackled against one another, raining down rock dust into her hair. They would not hold up for long. Hunter was thinking the same thing. Across the table, he began shouting, trying to draw the dragon's attention away. Starling's heart raced.

Starling sucked in an urgent breath and then coughed, choking on the debris in the air. She had to get out from under the leaning stones, but to do so now meant running right within range of the dragon's teeth and claws. And fire. Starling looked this way and that, searching for an alternate way to safety. There, at the back of the crevice, a ray of daylight shone through. It was small, but it was better than staying put and being turned to gravy under a pair of boulders. She dropped to her knees and crawled back toward the opening. She had to twist her shoulders and turn her head awkwardly to squeeze through the uneven slot, but she could do it.

Starling had never given much thought to claustrophobia, but right now she was sweating at the feeling of the rocks pressing in on either side and the knowledge that a simple shift of the dragon's weight might bring death crashing down upon her. A Sky Knight was not meant to die trapped under stone. She let out a breath of relief when she reached the narrow opening at the back of the structure and felt a breeze on her face.

That relief quickly died away when she heard Hunter shouting behind her, plus the roar of flame. A dark, snakelike shadow whipped in front of her face just as she poked her head out from under cover. A sudden gust of wind bore down on her from above. It was taking off.

Hunter's shouts became coherent in her ears. "The rocks!"

Starling barely had time to dive through the opening before the force of the dragon's takeoff sent the leaning stones tumbling down on top of one another. The groaning rocks rimming the crevice caught her sleeve as they closed up, but Starling ripped free before her hand was crushed between, leaving the fabric of her skysuit behind instead.

She rolled away onto jagged terrain, grunting at the pain of many rocks digging into her back. The skin of her arm burned from where she had barely scraped it out of danger in time, but blessedly, her frost crystal and nunchucks were still clutched in her hands.

Another shout from Hunter made her tip her head back sharply and register the dragon circling around to bear down on them again. There was murder in its flashing yellow eyes as it approached. Starling made the mistake of meeting them. The dragon clearly spotted her and angled its wings to bring itself in a path toward her. Its snakeline neck reared back as it approached, and its jaws parted, giving her a great view down its black-as-death maw. As she watched a spot of light began to grow at the back of its throat, growing, burning, and a jolt of fear froze Starling's spine.

_Fire._

It passed over her head, belching its flames loose.

The white-hot beam of liquid fire scorched the ground in a path straight toward her. Starling's legs seized up and refused to run. She was barely able to raise the frost crystal desperately over her head before the inferno reached her. Hunter was screaming her name.

A deafening sizzling noise marked the meeting of frost and fire just above Starling's head. Raging heat all around her brought sweat pouring down her face. Ice from her crystal froze it just as fast. The cycle chased its tail at dizzying speeds. Starling could not tell if she was burning or freezing to death. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her head was bowed. Her knees gave out under the force of the elements battling overhead and the Sky Knight fell.

Not a moment too soon. The dragon passed by, letting off its stream of fire as it beat its wings to circle around. Starling wheezed to catch her breath, not having realized that she'd held it the entire time. She wiped frosty sweat from her face with her sleeve. Her heart pounded. She could not stay here too long.

She hopped to her unsteady feet and cast around for Hunter. He was at the foot of the rubble pile leading to her location, trying to climb to her on his injured leg. His eyes were ablaze with worry and fear.

 _Idiot!_ The dragon was coming back!

Starling swung her arm at him frantically. "I'm fine! Go!"

Hunter looked torn, but he grit his teeth and let himself slide back down the incline, turning to face the center of the shelf. He raised his firebolt crystal as the dragon prepared its second pass and aimed a shot straight for its head.

The creature shrieked and rolled out of the way, taking the blast on its neck instead. The blow still knocked it off track and it flailed toward the ground, spinning crazily in the air.

Hunter was in the way.

He limped as fast as he could toward shelter, but the dragon's descent was faster. A flapping wing struck him as the dragon crashed into the shelf in a heap, leaving skid marks on the stone. Starling saw Hunter go down, but the cloud of dust rising in the dragon's wake soon blocked him from view. Her blood ran cold. Anything could be happening down there, out of her view.

Hunter could be in dire trouble. Hunter, who, she had suspected dead for four years. Hunter, whom she had only just found again. Hunter, who had looked so excited and so innocent just minutes ago, like he had been before. Her Hunter.

Starling did not register how she began running and screaming, but the next thing she knew she was careening toward the dragon's writhing form, her nunchucks blazing.

She dove into the dissipating cloud of dust, scanning frantically for the dragon's head. A wing came at her out of the gloom, and she batted it away with her whirling weapon. A claw swung out of nowhere, and she deflected it with practiced assurance. A glowing yellow eye appeared, and— its head! Starling, throat raw as she roared a battle cry, lunged toward it.

Her nunchucks came crashing down on its head. The violet crystals in its twin hilts glowed as if mirroring her energy. The light cut through the remainder of the dust and gave Starling a clear view of her enemy. Blow by blow she beat it back, flowing through the fighting forms she had practiced for so many years, her nunchucks flying in her grasp as if they were simply a part of her. The dragon screeched under the vicious assault, rearing its head back in pain. It raised its wings to take off again, but Starling spun, slapped her nunchucks flush together and willed a blast of violet energy from the Hanzo crystals at their tips. The bolt struck the beast's shoulder and charred the black hide there, drawing an even louder cry from its wounded throat. Starling laughed with the rush of euphoria victory fed her. She jumped forward again, pressing her advantage.

A piece of debris caught her foot.

In an instant she was facedown on the ground, her frost crystal skittering out of her grasp to tip over the far side of the shelf. She gasped for air through aching ribs and raised her head. The dragon had malicious glee in its yellow eyes as it recovered from her shot. It opened its jaws and Starling saw that telltale glow of flame flicker deep within the black cavern.

Starling struggled to rise. There wasn't enough time. She was grounded, beaten. Flames would consume her.

A flickering hope ran through her mind: maybe Atmosia had won. Maybe it was all worth it.

Maybe not.

The dragon turned its jaws on her. Starling squeezed her eyes shut.

A human shout filled her ears instead of the sound of devouring flame. A flash of bright red was visible even behind her eyelids. Another draconic shriek followed.

Starling looked up. A pair of feet were planted near her face. Hunter, standing over her. The firebolt crystal was clutched in one hand and his frost crystal in the other. As she watched, he risked a look down at her and their eyes met. Relief filled his gray orbs. Then he was turning back to the dragon and Starling forced herself to her feet beside him.

"Thanks," she gasped.

Hunter spared her another glance. Was he smiling? "Don't mention it. We're only even now," he replied. His voice was tight and energized from the adrenaline of battle. Starling couldn't help but flash a grin back.

Together they faced the beast as it regained its senses. Hunter blasted it again and Starling pushed forward, landing a few hits on its snout before leaping back out of range of its jaws. Again and again they pressed this pattern until the glow in the dragon's eyes became uncertain.

It could not last. In a sudden motion the dragon reared onto its hind legs and brought its wings down in a mighty stroke, buffeting the two warriors with a gale-force wind. Hunter sprawled backward, his balance forfeit by his weak hip. Starling managed to tuck herself into a roll and come up on her knees, guarding her face with her bare arm. The storm lasted only seconds but it was almost enough for the dragon to best them. As Starling uncovered her head, she saw the dragon's neck coil back and its needlelike teeth bare, its burning eyes on Hunter. He was sitting up, but the firebolt crystal was gone from his grasp. Nothing would save him from the final, deadly snap of dragon teeth.

Nothing but Starling. She was on her feet and diving toward him as the dragon's head launched forward. Her shoulder hit rock painfully and she skidded on her back into the beast's path, her arms outstretched and her nunchucks spread between her fists.

The blow almost broke her arms. Incredible force sent shockwaves all the way through her, her shoulders taking the brunt. She slid back several paces with the strength of it. Starling shut her eyes and poured all her strength into forcing her grip not to waver. She could hear the dragon's teeth grinding against the chain of her nunchucks, desperate with frustration. Her arms shook, and she turned her head to the side as the dragon lunged forward, snapping against her weakness. Sharp teeth grazed her cheek before she let out a cry and pushed back, pressing her back against the ground for leverage.

"Starling!"

Hunter's voice made her snap her eyes open, and dread shot through her at the sight of the dragon's opening jaws.

_Again with the fire!_

But she could not loosen her grip or the beast's teeth would kill her first. She lowered her head, arms screaming with the strain, praying that it would suddenly run out of blazing death to breathe.

It did not.

It didn't have to.

Hunter was there first, spraying ice from his remaining frost crystal. The weight was suddenly released from Starling's shoulders as the creature shrank back under Hunter's direct assault. The marksman did not let up, instead pushing the beast back with a storm of blistering cold until its snout was glittering with frost and its throat no longer licked with the threat of flame.

"Nunchucks!" he shouted suddenly, though he kept his attention trained on the dragon. Starling scrambled to her feet as she understood his meaning. "Now is our chance!"

The Sky Knight rushed forward. The dragon, blinded by swirling white mist, did not notice her until it was too late.

Starling pressed a pair of buttons on the arms of her nunchucks and twisted, releasing a mechanism that extended it chain far beyond its usual length. She prayed that Hunter's invention would hold.

Starling grasped one handle and closed her other hand around the lengthened chain, spinning the free handle to work up momentum as she ran. Then in one smooth series of motions, she tossed the free handle up around the dragon's head, slipped the long chain between its open jaws, and flipped up onto its neck before catching both ends of her weapon in an iron grasp. She yanked back on the handles, settling the chain between the dragon's gnashing teeth and drawing its head away from Hunter. She could see its wings rising in a sudden, desperate move and she called to her companion: "Come on!"

Hunter's snapped up and registered her urgency. Immediately he let off his ice storm and raced down the dragon's side toward Starling and her waiting hand.

He reached Starling's seat and leaped. The dragon's wings came down in a strong beat and lifted the beast off the ground. Starling reached frantically for Hunter's hand before he fell away and they lost their chance forever.

They caught each other's wrists just in time.

Then Hunter's sudden weight pulled Starling off balance and she nearly pitched out of her seat and into thin air. She tightened her legs on the dragon's neck and held onto her nunchuck-reins for dear life, struggling to pull Hunter up from where he dangled along the beast's side. Her weakened arms screamed.

Starling cried out in pain and frustration. "My arms!" she shouted to Hunter. "I can't—!"

The dragon seemed to sense their precarious position and took advantage, flapping crazily in aerial patterns meant to throw the two fighters to their death. Starling's legs began to chafe against the beast's scaly hide and the new, burning pain tempted her to let go. Hunter hung on by a thread, the wind clawing greedily at his hair and clothes, almost stronger than Starling's grip.

The beast went into a roll.

Incidentally, that gave Hunter the perfect opportunity to wrench his weightless body toward the dragon's neck and latch on before the world righted itself and gravity took over again.

When the beast levelled out, the marksman was seated firmly on its neck, chest pressed to Starling's back and arms wrapped about her waist. He reached for the nunchuck-reins and Starling ceded control without a word, taking the chance to rest her overworked arm muscles. Apparently frustrated by this defeat, the dragon ceased struggling against them for a moment and simply soared through the reddened sky.

The moment was far from peaceful, but Starling basked in the small victories for as long as she could. They had bested a dragon. A dragon! And now here they were, riding it up toward the portal in the sky as if it were a typical Tuesday pastime. They were both alive, if not unhurt, and Hunter had not yet disappeared into a cloud of mist that revealed him to be only a dream. No, indeed; his arms around her were the most solid part of her world just now. Unconsciously she leaned back into him, pretending she could feel the beat of his heart amidst all the conflicting gusts of the wind around them. She thought she felt those strong arms tighten slightly around her, and a timid spot of warmth bloomed in her chest. He was _alive_. She still had trouble believing it.

She felt him lean up beside her, the bristles of his beard scraping her neck gently. "We did it," came his low voice in her ear. It was laced with excitement, victory, pride—but also undercurrents of something tender. Starling did not have to wonder what it was for long. The marksman cleared his throat and continued almost bashfully, "I never thought I would get to fight by your side again."

Starling looked over her shoulder toward him, bringing their faces close. She smiled wryly to hide the flicker of nervousness she felt. "Not an experience I'd care to repeat, but an honor nonetheless," she replied.

She felt Hunter's chest hum as he chuckled. Then silence fell between them as they came up on a massive Cyclonian warship. She doubted that any of its occupants would recognize them riding on the back of a dragon, but they grew tense regardless. As they neared, Starling could see small figures moving about on the deck. She wondered idly if any were the Storm Hawks. After all, one was holding a staff like Piper's. Wait.

She squinted and looked more closely.

One of them was also dressed in blue and orange like Piper. And facing down a pair of black-clad Cyclonians like Piper. And—

"That's Piper," she confirmed with a hint of alarm in her voice.

Hunter leaned over her shoulder to look, and after a moment he grunted in agreement. "I ought to go help," he decided. "Take this thing down."

"You?" repeated Starling with sudden heat. "I don't intend to sit by while Master Cyclonis tears my friends apart, thank you. We'll both go."

"Starling." Hunter's voice was low and firm. "Atmosia needs you to lead them. You can't be stuck on this side when the final battle happens."

"But—" Starling was extremely aware of the seconds ticking by and the warship growing closer. A decision growing closer. She knew what the right choice was, but she did not want to make it. She tried to stall. "What if the portal closes? What about you?"

Again Hunter laughed, but this time there was no humor in it. "Everyone thinks I'm dead anyway. If things go wrong, I will not be missed."

Starling turned in her seat to face him, her expression intense. " _I_ will miss you," she insisted. There was a heavy silence where they both regarded each other solemnly. "I've only just found you. I won't lose you again," Starling finally said softly.

Hunter sighed, and Starling heard years of pent-up emotion in that single helpless sound. He looked down away from her eyes. When he brought his back up there were storms in the gray. "You won't," he promised. "Don't worry." They both knew that he could not guarantee it. Plenty of lives had been lost in this battle already. What was one more?

 _I don't know what to do_. Starling once again had to struggle to hold back tears. What was wrong with her? Her heart was racing as she flickered her gaze quickly over Hunter's face, memorizing its planes and features, just in case.

Just in case he didn't come back.

Too late, she realized that Hunter's own gaze was on her lips.

They were out of time. They were over the warship. Starling whirled around to face front and grasped the reins, forcing the dragon lower as they approached. "You'd better come back, you bloody lunatic," she cried, her voice going unsteady. Grimacing in futile frustration, she did her best to hold the dragon level as Hunter lifted his injured leg over its neck and balanced there sidesaddle.

She looked back, and he looked up to meet her. "Fight well, Starling," he managed. She nodded, not trusting her voice.

Then he jumped.

...


	24. Unexpected

"You monster!"

Piper followed her words with a furious cry as she sprinted toward Master Cyclonis, channeling every ounce of her rage into her muscles to lend her extra speed. She bounded across the deck, feet pounding on the metal, crystal staff brandished over her head. Her knuckles were white with the force of her grip.

"You will pay!" she screamed hard enough to make her throat raw. Violet light collected at the crest of her crystal staff, preparing a staggering blast. She would blow Cyclonis to pieces with it. She would tear her apart for what she'd done. _For Aerrow!_ She let out another tearing war cry.

But the dark princess laughed in the face of Piper's charge. She settled into a defensive stance as the Storm Hawk approached at full tilt, flicking her wrist at the nearby Dark Ace as if to say _Leave her to me!_

Her violet eyes were flickering with gleeful malice as they locked with Piper's over the rapidly shortening distance. "Show me what you've got, Storm Hawk," she challenged, grinning. Her hands dipped into the folds of her cloak and surfaced with a crystal in each: firebolt and shielding stones.

Piper closed the final distance in a desperate lunge, crystal staff arcing down from overhead in a massive swing toward Cyclonis's face.

The villain sidestepped and chuckled as Piper's blow struck only deck. Violet sparks skittered from the staff's crowning crystal at the impact. "I expected better from you, Piper!" she taunted. She spread her arms, inviting another try. "It must be the grief clouding your mind, hmm?"

Piper shouted in fury. She whirled, swinging the staff again in a powerful uppercut that Cyclonis simply leaned back to avoid.

"Really, Piper," Cyclonis pressed, "you're making this too easy!" She dropped low and swept her foot out to catch the Storm Hawk's ankles. When Piper sprawled to the deck, Cyclonis sent a quick jet of energy from her firebolt crystal. The Storm Hawk barely rolled to avoid it and the blast blackened the ground beside her head.

Piper sprang straight from her back to her feet and clutched the staff in both hands. She was growling in anger. This time when she charged, she spun the weapon about her wrists, calling a blinding glow to the violet crystal at the tip. In her next flurry of attacks she sent a pulse of energy out with each swing. Her moves were vicious, but they all fell short. Violet light bounced harmlessly off the deck around them. Cyclonis dodged, ducked, and finally flipped out of range, bounding back on one hand before skidding to a stop. She was barely breathing hard.

"I think you may have singed my cape," she said in mock encouragement.

Piper stepped back, panting, amber eyes smoldering with hatred. As much as she wanted to knock Cyclonis's head from her shoulders, she just couldn't land a hit. She didn't have the same control she usually did. It was like her body reacted half a second too slow; half an inch too little. She felt off. "What's wrong with me?" she murmured to herself, wringing the staff between her hands

Cyclonis's taunt rang in her ears: _It must be the grief clouding your mind!_ Could that really happen? Piper didn't want to believe it.

But maybe she had to. Maybe she could overcome it.

Taking a deep breath, she reached beneath the collar of her skysuit and unzipped the hidden pocket over her heart. Inside, her fingers landed on the smooth surface of the lava-colored specter crystal.

An instant flood of energy struck her awareness, stealing her breath. Aerrow was there. His spirit rushed to meet her and prodded her just as clearly and urgently as if Aerrow himself had said aloud, _What's going on?_

She was both saddened and comforted by the contact. She would have to get used to this soul-radio transmission method of communication with her beloved Sky Knight. She gathered her thoughts and sent him images illustrating her meaning: _Master Cyclonis._

The flare of anger she received in response nearly matched her own. She was overwhelmed with a mixture of hatred, fear, conviction, and regret before Aerrow reined in his emotion and it was replaced by a steading pulse of something else. Something warm. Something gentle and stilling. It told Piper, You can do this. Immediately her heart swelled, and she tightened her physical grip on her staff in determination. He was right. He was here, and with him she could do it.

But there was something else as well. Piper struggled to sift through the fleeting images and echoes of feeling to uncover what it was. She could sense Aerrow guiding her to it, pulling gently, strengthening the subtle glow of the one idea that hummed at the center of his awareness—

_I love you._

Piper stopped. _Wh—_ For a moment she was breathless. Her limbs buzzed. Then, tentatively, she reached out to him again. _What?_ she ventured. Maybe she had misunderstood. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Maybe—

_I love you, Piper._

No. She hadn't misunderstood.

Shock and warmth rippled through her from her chest to her toes. Her heart was stumbling in its haste. Her hands were going cold and her knees were weak. Her mind was running too fast for its own good. But she felt a sudden stability, a certain profound grounding that she'd never experienced before.

And it was just what she needed.

_I—_

She didn't have time to respond. A blast of red light shot by her, scorching the skin of her shoulder as she barely snapped to her senses in time to duck away.

The sudden loss of connection with Aerrow almost sent her to her knees, but she managed to stay standing. His final words to her thrummed through her body like newfound physical strength. Her only regret was not having the chance to answer. And it was Cyclonis's fault.

She slowly raised her eyes to the other woman's, teeth bared. "You have no idea what you've just done," she said fiercely.

At her words, the gloating look in Cyclonis's violet eyes drained away.

And Piper charged again.

…

"So what's the plan, exactly?" Junko shouted over the sound of the wind. He was riding along next to Stork's rocket chair in his own beat-up Skimmer, which still sputtered and threatened to lose altitude at random intervals.

Stork was gripping the armrests of his wheelchair tightly as it roared through the sky toward the Cyclonian fleet. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were wide, but he never changed course. "I'm going to s-s-st-steal the thruster array's d-dampening s-st-stabilizers and overheat the engine!" cried Stork through nervously chattering teeth. He released an armrest long enough to pound his fist angrily on the chair's metal frame. "It's what they d-d-did to me!"

Junko pretended to understand what that meant. Finn, flying on the other side of Stork on his hijacked Cyclonian ride, yelled, "Where's this thruster array gonna be?" Radarr was clinging fearfully to the seat as Finn tried to steer his Skimmer with his one good hand.

Stork released his death grip a second time to point to the lower rear of the approaching Cyclonian vessel. "Aft b-b-boiler room. Near the thrusters themselves."

"Any guards?" asked Junko, sliding his hand into his remaining knuckle buster. He had to shake it a few times before it activated.

"Undoubtedly."

"Nothing we can't handle," Finn said cockily, patting his crossbow with his splinted hand. Then he winced. Radarr looked concerned.

"We'll s-s-see about that," muttered Stork darkly.

As they cut through the smoky atmosphere to the rear of the massive warship, the hangar bay doors came into view. They were closed, as expected, but Stork pointed a finger toward the hull to the right of the sealed doors. "External release button," he said, both an explanation and a command.

Sure enough, when Finn squinted, he could make out the shape of a panel on the hull with a conspicuous red button mounted in the center. "Got it," he called, taking out his crossbow. He took his good hand off the handlebars of his ride to aim. Radarr jumped ahead of him to take control of the vehicle. "Steady...steady," he spoke to himself, waiting until the last second to release so that they would have the best chance of surprising their enemies. He let the arrow fly.

It bounced off the hull ten feet away from the button and fell harmlessly into thin air.

"I'm no good lefty!" he cried, panicked. "It's too late to stop! We're gonna crash!"

Stork commenced screaming "We're doomed!" but Junko reached across quickly, snatched Stork's pogo stick from the back of his rocket chair, and hurled it like a javelin at the button.

It struck true. The external panel beeped, and the heavy bay doors groaned and rattled apart slowly. Too slowly.

"We're still gonna crash!" yelled Finn.

The hangar opened up just in time for the four Storm Hawks to careen through the opening single file and land, tires screeching, on board the ship. Finn's Cyclonian Skimmer fishtailed to a stop, throwing Radarr from the seat to land in a graceful martial arts pose a few yards away.

Junko's ride spun out and crashed into a row of enemy Skyrides, effectively ruining both. The Wallop bailed before his engine caught fire and destroyed itself with a measly explosion.

Stork nearly gave himself whiplash by braking too hard, but otherwise he landed unharmed, saved by his seatbelt harness. He looked around. "That went better than I expected," he admitted.

Junko groaned in disagreement as he rolled to his feet, rubbing his head. Finn had dismounted his ride and dropped into a crouch. He was nearest the entrance to the rest of the ship. "No Cyclonians?" he asked suspiciously.

"They had to hear that," whined Junko in embarrassment.

Stork's ears were pricked up. "Maybe they're all busy shooting Sky Knights out of the air," he said in a low voice. The others looked at him in disgust, and he shrugged. "Just saying. Come on." He rolled his wheelchair toward the end of the hangar, where a door opened up into the interior of the ship.

Finn, Radarr and Junko stepped quietly along behind the slowly travelling Stork, weapons at the ready. Even so, they were unbothered by enemies as they trekked through winding hallways toward the aft boiler room. Before they knew it, Stork was whispering, "We're here."

Looking up, Finn saw that they stood before a thick metal door with rivets around the perimeter. It was secured by a heavy-looking radial lock like on a bank vault door. He whistled quietly. "Sure looks hard to break into."

Junko moved forward and grasped the big lock with both hands. Straining audibly, muscles bulging, Junko hauled on the spokes of the contraption until the whole lock began to groan and shake out of its moorings. Even with a single knuckle buster, the Wallop was able to wrench the mechanism out of the door and throw it aside with a massive _clang_. Reaching into the new opening, Junko released the remaining innards of the lock manually and the door swung open.

"Nice work, dude!" Finn celebrated. Radarr and Stork shushed him. He quickly shrank back. "Sorry."

Radarr leaped into the room first. After his bold entrance, his next steps were overly cautious and quiet. He looked around, half hunched over in a ready stance.

A sudden squeak, and he was gone.

"Gotcha!" cried a male voice.

"Ambush!" wailed Finn.

A stream of Cyclonian Talons rushed to meet the Storm Hawks as they pounded into the boiler room, fists swinging and bows raised. Finn got off a shot, but it went wide and bounced off the ceiling uselessly. The Talon he'd been aiming at stopped short and laughed. Junko bulled in from the side, punching the distracted enemy in the head with his unadorned fist and knocking the man out cold. Finn looked at his teammate miserably, repeating, "I'm no good lefty!"

Junko didn't have time to answer before he whirled around and engaged with a pair of new Cyclonians. Finn struggled to load another crossbow bolt, determined to redeem himself.

Radarr had bitten the thumb of the Talon who had so rudely grabbed him moments ago and wriggled out of the man's grasp. Now he was skittering around the man's head and shoulders, enjoying a game of whack-a-mole: three Cyclonians took swings at Radarr again and again, but only succeeded in repeatedly banging their companion over the head with metal poles.

Stork rode in a crazy zigzag path between flailing Cyclonians, running over every toe he could find on his way to the thruster array in the center of the room. He was nearly home free when he noticed a bundle of wires connecting the array to a panel on the wall. "Oh, no!" he shrieked, coming to a halt.

Junko finished punching a Talon into the ceiling and looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean, 'oh no?'"

"The stabilizers! They can't be tampered with except in a small window of time after a system reset is performed, or the ship will automatically reroute power to compensate!"

"In English!" Finn requested, whacking a Cyclonian with the butt of his crossbow.

"See that button?" Stork simplified, pointing hysterically. "Unless we push it and then steal the thingies _really_ fast, we'll fail!"

Finn glanced at the button quickly before returning his attention to the next Cyclonian who rushed him. "Fine," he said, "so you guys wait next to the thingies, I'll shoot the button, and you can steal 'em really fast. Easy!"

Junko and Radarr exchanged a glance.

"Are you sure you can hit it?" Stork asked deliberately.

"Are you doubting the Finster?" showboated Finn in a forced confident voice. Then he dropped the pretenses and asked, "Do you have a better idea?"

Stork grunted a concession. He wheeled up next to one of the thruster housings and gripped a relatively small attachment on the side, whose glowing display shone green. "On the count of three. We might only have one shot at this. One…"

Junko and Radarr backed toward the other two thrusters, locating the same attached boxes that Stork had specified. The few Cyclonians left standing surrounded them in a final effort to foil their plans. Only one stayed on Finn, apparently considering him less of a threat.

"Two…" Stork fired his wheelchair rockets to singe the backside of a Talon attempting to sneak up behind him. His hands stayed on the dampening stabilizer box.

Finn glared at his single remaining opponent, standing as if they were about to enter a classic cowboy showdown. The fingers of his left hand curled around his crossbow trigger.

Junko and Radarr simultaneously knocked down a pair of Cyclonians, giving them a wide opening before any more Talons could rush in. "Three!"

Finn and his rival both jumped into action. The Talon leaped into the air, blocking the path of Finn's crossbow bolt as the Storm Hawk fired it at a spot ten feet away from his actual target.

The Cyclonian went wide. The shot struck true.

"Steal the thingies!" Finn yelled with all his strength.

All three dampening stabilizers came away from the thruster array with crackles and pops of electricity. Junko whooped loudly in triumph. Finn hopped over the pile of dismayed Talons on the floor and ran to his friend, high-fiving him vigorously and then wincing. Radarr scurried up onto his shoulder and hugged his head proudly.

"No time to celebrate! This ship is going down!" Stork's voice cut in. "Hop on!"

They cut a very strange figure as they trundled out of the boiler room at top speed and tore back towards the hangar, all crouched on Stork's rocket chair like desperate hitchhikers.

But they had just scored a huge, unexpected victory, perhaps in the nick of time. Stork hoped it was enough.

...


	25. Agony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for torture

Piper's first swing missed just like her previous ones.

But this time as Cyclonis hopped to the side, Piper used her momentum to whip the tail of the staff around and connect it with the Master's face. Cyclonis hissed and staggered to the side. As her enemy stumbled, Piper kept pressing, leaping up and knocking her to the ground with a roundhouse kick. When Cyclonis went sprawling Piper followed, hatred and vengeance bubbling up in her chest like never before.

"Master!"

Piper whipped her head to the side just in time to see the Dark Ace barrelling toward her, snarling. He had his crackling red energy sword raised above his head, and at his side—

_No._

"You filthy murderer!"

Aerrow's daggers were tucked at his hip.

Piper's eyes flicked from the Dark Ace's belt back to his face. Her expression was murderous. She pivoted to face his approaching form, raising her crystal staff and letting violet light build at its tip. As the ball of energy grew and brightened, the Dark Ace faltered in his charge. He met her eyes and something like fear entered his expression.

"Dark Ace, kill her!" Cyclonis screamed from the ground.

Piper sent a swift kick into her side, silencing her. When she turned back to the Dark Ace her eyes seemed to flash bright violet in the light of the power crystal. She bared her teeth and roared with increasing volume, "Those. Are. _Not. Yours!_ " On her final word she raised the staff and discharged a massive blast of energy at him. It buzzed through the air like a star brought to earth, seeming to steal the light around it in order to fuel its own glow.

The Dark Ace threw up his arms to shield his face. The energy bolt exploded through the meager defense and slammed him full in the chest with the force of a bomb dropping. He flew back head over heels and landed with a crash some yards away. His precious sword clattered to the deck.

Piper rounded on Master Cyclonis again, summoning another charge to the crystal staff. "I told you you would pay for what you did to Aerrow!" she shouted. "I'm about to keep that promise." She approached the grounded ruler and planted her foot on one bony shoulder, leaning down over Cyclonis's face. "I'll show you what real pain feels like."

Before Cyclonis could answer, Piper lifted the crystal staff and plunged it down into her free shoulder. The crystal sliced into her flesh like a blade. Cyclonis screamed and grasped at the staff with both black-clawed hands, scrabbling at the metal in desperation. Piper did not free her. Instead she leaned on the weapon, sinking it deeper, teeth bared in a remorseless grimace of death. She twisted the shaft in her grip and watched as the princess opened her mouth in a hoarse cry.

"Piper, please—" began that cursed sibilant voice, now devoid of any trace of its usual smugness. No, it was not gloating now. Now it was pleading. Now it wanted mercy.

It had never given mercy before.

Piper tightened her fists on the staff and willed its crystal to build with energy. The searing light arced up from the wound in Cyclonis's shoulder, glowing through her flesh. As it grew in power, it began to heat. Piper could see the look of horror in the former Master's eyes as she felt the heat rising in intensity, radiating out, beginning to burn her.

"You shouldn't have touched him," Piper hissed cruelly, even as silent tears began tracking down her cheeks.

"Gah! Stop! Just stop," Cyclonis yelped, turning her face away from the star-bright glare of the blazing crystal in her shoulder. "Please!" Her wound was beginning to smoke. "I'm sorry!" She cried out, arching her back against the deck, trying to twist free from the torturous staff.

Piper shook her head, eyes shining. "It's too late for that, Cyclonis." Her knuckles were white on the weapon as she forced it steady against the Cyclonian's struggling. "You're just getting what you deserve."

The crystal was gleaming too brightly to look at. Piper could hear Cyclonis's flesh crisping beneath the burning heat and the ruler's voice rising in a wordless cry of agony and still she did not let up. _This is for Aerrow_ , she thought. _This is for him. This is justified._

She didn't show him any mercy.

So she tuned out the horrifying cries and gave Cyclonis no mercy either. As the woman grasped at her ankle, trying to dislodge her, Piper stomped her fingers and held fast. _Getting what you deserve._

A flicker distracted her.

Piper glanced up briefly but saw nothing. She returned her attention to Cyclonis.

Something tickled at the corner of her mind. Piper's focus lapsed and for a moment the power crystal did not burn so bright. She cast around for the source of the odd feeling, but again found nothing.

Before she could pour her concentration back into punishing Master Cyclonis, the tickle turned into a poke and Piper growled aloud in surprise and annoyance. This was not the time for some mind-eating parasite to start afflicting her! She took one hand off the staff to grasp her temple and blinked hard. When she did, a flash of green seemed to bounce behind her eyelids. Emerald green.

Suddenly curious, Piper slipped her hand into the inside pocket of her skysuit and touched Aerrow's specter crystal.

A wave of emotions hit her like a runaway Skyride. Fear, horror, and outrage all washed over her with the intensity of a tidal wave. She gasped and almost staggered under the force. _What—?_ she demanded mentally.

Aerrow's green spirit was bouncing and weaving with desperate energy and images bombarded Piper so fast they ran together as gibberish. She could barely keep her feet with her mind spinning to understand. Cyclonis was stirring beneath her boot, aware that something was off. Piper kicked her and shouted to Aerrow, _Slow down!_

He stopped just as suddenly as he had begun. She could sense him gathering his energy. A pause stretched between them, and then his meaning struck out all at once like a single knockout punch.

_Wrong!_

Wrong? Piper echoed. _Wrong?_ Aerrow was berating _her_ for being _wrong_? Indeed, discomfort swirled in his ball of light as sporadic purple strands. He didn't like what she was doing. He thought it was wrong.

She seethed with anger, collecting her thoughts and shooting back viciously, _She deserves it!_

Overwhelming negatives flowed from Aerrow's consciousness and pounded against her. _No! Wrong!_

Piper felt like pulling out the specter crystal and throwing it somewhere dirty. She was doing this for Aerrow. She was avenging him. She was repaying Cyclonis for her atrocities. She was serving justice. She was righting wrongs. And he wanted to stop her.

She was preparing a wholehearted counterattack when a noise shocked her out of her thoughts. She snapped her eyes back into focus and whirled around, ripping the crystal staff out of Cyclonis's shoulder to bring it into a defensive—

Piper hit the ground and the air rushed from her lungs. The staff went spinning out of her grasp.

Before she could gather her wits a metal-backed fist struck her in the face. While she was still blinking away stars, she felt herself being hauled off the ground by the front of her skysuit. Her feet dangled above the deck.

"I should have killed you a long time ago," growled the Dark Ace into her face.

Piper cursed inwardly. She'd been so occupied with Aerrow and his stupid qualms, she hadn't even noticed the Dark Ace approaching! She should have expected him to come to sooner or later. She curled her lip, preparing to buy herself time. "You tried, remember?" she goaded. "But Aerrow kicked your butt every time."

The Dark Ace's expression twisted into a scowl, but it only lasted a moment before it melted away and he smirked darkly. "Not every time," he drawled.

Piper's control snapped. She screamed in outrage and kicked out with both feet, striking the metal-clad warrior in the shin. He grunted but did not release her. Instead he cast his gaze over Piper's shoulder and smiled.

"Master," he acknowledged. Piper strained her neck to see behind her, but she could not lay eyes on Cyclonis. Presumably the witch was approaching. Dark Ace's grin grew scarily predatory as he continued to look past Piper to his master. "Did you want to do the honors, or shall I?"

Cyclonis's familiar, wicked laugh piped up behind her. "Oh, I think you've had your fill of the fun, Dark Ace. It's my turn now." The dark princess came into view beside Piper and instantly shot out a hand to grab her chin. Her mouth was distorted in a sneer, but her violet eyes were haunted by pain. Piper's gaze was drawn to her shoulder. There, charred flesh ringed a nasty bleeding slit. Cyclonis noticed her look and her claws went tight on Piper's jaw. She hissed through gritted teeth, "And besides, it's personal now."

Abruptly, Cyclonis released Piper and passed back out of view. "I'll repay you tenfold for what you did to me," she promised darkly. Piper could hear her footsteps clank across the deck as she neared the place the crystal staff had landed, and her heartbeat sped up. _That's not fair!_ she raged inside her mind. _You started this!_

She had returned to avenge Aerrow. She had done this for him. But he had distracted her, tried to stop her, and now she was trapped between two Cyclonians with nothing up her sleeve and no backup. She felt drained. She felt useless and betrayed and frustrated and all the while she knew that it meant nothing. She would die here and her cause would be forgotten alongside her name and Aerrow's. Where was the rest of her team? Alive, she hoped. Safe, she hoped. Maybe Atmosia would succeed without her.

Too bad she wouldn't live to see it.

Then Cyclonis's footsteps abruptly stopped. "You!" a vicious shriek rang out instead.

Piper twisted around anxiously, trying to lay eyes on whomever Cyclonis was so perturbed to see. Hunter? Finn? A Sky Knight?

But the person standing defiantly over Cyclonis's crystal staff was not a face Piper was expecting to see. Ever again, in fact. "Adara?" she said in disbelief. "I thought you…" Her words died as her eyes drifted to the front of the redhead's skysuit, where the Cyclonian crest now adorned her lapel. Her gaze flickered between the crest and Adara's face several times, her brows lowering in anger. "You betrayed us!" she realized. _This is_ her _fault!_

Adara was staring across at Master Cyclonis, her expression tortured. "You said that if I did what you asked, no one would get hurt!"

Piper didn't hear Cyclonis's answer. Her awareness was tunneling as fury bubbled up within her. She had just been tasked with a new mission. Now she had revenge to level on Adara as well as Master Cyclonis. And her odds had just gone down.

Then I'll go down fighting.

She bucked suddenly in the Dark Ace's grip, loosening his hold, and kicked free. She hit the ground and immediately charged toward Adara, a war cry building in her throat.

"Stop!" Adara cried, holding out her slim hands to Piper as if to halt her by force. Her pale eyes were wide and desperate. "I'm on your side!"

"Is that why you've got a Cyclonian crest glittering on your shirtfront?" Piper crowed in outrage.

Adara didn't answer. She gritted her teeth in apparent frustration and kicked Cyclonis's crystal staff up into her hand in one smooth motion. She leveled the point at Piper's chest until she slowed her charge. Their eyes locked. For a moment Piper expected a buzzing energy ball to blast into her chest at the drop of a hat. Frozen, drawn taught as a bowstring, Piper stopped and finally realized the raw truth in Adara's green orbs. The mapsmith nodded to her once.

Then she turned and fired a crystal bolt straight at Master Cyclonis.

The witch deflected the blast with her shielding crystal at the slightest flick of her wrist. When Piper whipped her head around to stare, she saw Cyclonis's face twist murderously. "I should have brainwashed you with the shards of the Crystal Tablet along with everyone else!" she barked at Adara.

The mapsmith's face dropped in horror and for a heartbeat everything was still. "The shards alone can do that?"

Cyclonis cackled. "Even a shard of a powerful crystal can be very potent by itself." Then she reached into the pouch at her belt and came out with firebolt crystals tucked between each of her knuckles, like claws. "As for the Storm Hawks and their pitiful efforts," she spat, "you're weak even together!" She raised her crystal-clawed hand and aimed it at Adara. "Say goodbye!"

The deck exploded in action and noise as the two women launched into battle.

"Goodbye." A different, deep voice sounded right in Piper's ear.

Then agony ripped through her.

She gasped and choked as blood filled her throat, welling up into her lungs from the new wound in her chest. Her hands shook as they grasped futilely at the blade protruding from her sternum. They slid off the blood-slicked surface uselessly. Her eyes were wide but unfocused. _Aerrow?_ was her sole, weak thought as she crumpled forward onto her face. The blade came free of her body with a sickening noise.

There Piper lay, bleeding. The Dark Ace's silhouette blocked out the fiery light of the sky and threw a shadow across her rapidly paling face. A cruel laugh rumbled from his throat. "It's not every day that you get to kill two Storm Hawks in one day," he said triumphantly. He opened his hand, and something fell from it to clatter across the deck toward Piper.

She wheezed and trembled and stared at it, struggling to register what it was. A blade. A bloody blade. She reached out and touched it absently and her finger made a clean spot along the edge, showing the gray metal beneath. Gray and—

And blue. Aerrow's own dagger.

Piper's face contorted as she was overcome with sorrow. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she could not sob or she would suffocate on her own blood. Her hands curled into fists and cramped there. Her vision was darkening.

"Don't worry, dear Piper," the Dark Ace crooned, bending to one knee beside her. "You'll be with your precious Aerrow soon enough."

Piper slid her gaze weakly to the side and saw the Dark Ace raise his hand, Aerrow's second dagger in his grip.

He was going to kill her. This was the end of her story.

Piper squeezed her eyes shut, too tired to feel much regret that she hadn't done better. She hadn't saved the world. She hadn't avenged Aerrow. She hadn't even gotten to tell him that she loved him. Painfully slow, she reached one thick, useless hand toward the specter crystal in her pocket. She at least wanted her last thought to be of him.

She wouldn't make it. She could hear the rush of the Dark Ace's blade falling.

...


	26. Human

"You're good with crystals?" Adara panted, springing out of the way of several more energy blasts. As she landed, she dropped down and hurled two frost crystals from her hip, across the deck toward Cyclonis's feet. "So am I!"

Cyclonis swung her arm down in an arc, burning a path through the approaching ice with her firebolt crystals. With the other hand she withdrew a ball-shaped purple crystal from her belt and winged it toward Adara.

The mapsmith dove and rolled out of the way, but as she came up on one knee she paused. She spared a glance back at the thrown gem, confused. It had clinked harmlessly against the deck and rolled to a stop a few feet away. "What was that?" she asked, a laugh bubbling from her throat, "a dud?"

Cyclonis's chuckle chilled her to the bone. "Foolish Far Side girl," she hissed. Her stance was wide and she was bent forward clutching her injured shoulder, but the look in her eyes was one of pure, malicious glee. She pointed to the purple gem, which had begun to glow. "Amateur mistake!"

Adara realized what the crystal was too late. Its glow was building in intensity by the second, the purple hue brightening to a blinding white. A horrible feeling knotting in her stomach, Adara opened her own crystal pouch and looked inside. Her crystals were fading. All of them. "A leech crystal!" she spat. She whipped her head up to glare at the offending crystal, prepared to pick it up and toss it over the side of the ship, but it was already too bright.

Too much power! she realized with satisfaction. The feeling faded when she remembered what that meant. _Oh, sh—_

The leech crystal exploded.

Adara was thrown back almost to the edge of the deck. She landed painfully on her side, her ears ringing and her limbs numb. She couldn't see anything except a blinding negative image of the blast. She blinked frantically, trying to clear her vision before Cyclonis appeared overhead and killed her.

Come on, come on. Slowly, her blindness faded to a collection of floaters, her head cleared and Adara was able to sit up. Grimacing and holding her protesting ribs, she looked around.

Cyclonis's dark, bowed shape stood halfway across the deck, apparently much less damaged by the explosion than she. The crystal staff was in her hand. Adara cursed.

Then, her eyes landed on the worst part. Adara cursed again, harder.

Behind Master Cyclonis, where Piper had stood captive not long ago, the crystal mage's body lay crumpled on the ground. The Dark Ace knelt over her, his arm raised and one of Aerrow's daggers clutched in his hand. He was about to strike.

"No!" Adara screamed. She was too far away to intercept the Dark Ace by force, but maybe she could distract him long enough for Piper to regain her senses. She shot to her feet, ignoring her spinning head and beginning a charge across the deck. "Don't touch her!" As she ran, she dug in her crystal pouch and withdrew a handful of stones. She aimed one at the Dark Ace. Dead or not, they would still hurt like a mother if one clocked you in the forehead.

She had just brought her arm back to throw when something massive passed overhead.

A gust of wind suddenly buffeted the deck, stopping Adara in her tracks and forcing her to shield her face against the gale. She peered between her arms to see where the blast was coming from, thinking, What in bloody hell—! What kind of new evil had Cyclonis summoned up this time?

Her eyes landed on a dark winged shape and her stomach dropped with dread. _Oh._

"Dragon!" the Dark Ace bellowed, his voice edged with shock and panic. Adara saw him launch to his feet and begin to stumble away from the hovering beast. His face was twisted into a desperate grimace.

But why would he be scared? The dragons were fighting for Cyclonia! Unless—

Something dropped like a stone from the sky.

It crashed into the Dark Ace with a noise like a Skimmer accident. He sprawled onto his stomach beneath its weight, crying out mightily in pain. For a moment his figure was lost beneath a pile of scraps and metal plating. Then the mass began to shift and straighten and Adara realized it was a person, a bent and haggard person in a patchwork skysuit, the crest of the lapel indicating—

"Hunter!" she cried in pleased surprise.

The figure that had fallen from the sky turned to face her, and she saw Hunter's gray eyes widen in recognition and then narrow. His hand went to his own crystal pouch, where she was sure he was rifling for a weapon.

"Wait!" Adara called, stretching out a hand to him. The other hand she raised to point at Piper's motionless form sprawled a few yards away. Her first!

Hunter laid eyes on the fallen Storm Hawk and immediately his face went grave. He glanced at Adara, gave her a single curt nod, and turned to run to Piper's side. When he withdrew his hand from his pouch, it held not an offensive crystal but a healing crystal. Adara relaxed in relief.

Then she flicked her attention back to Master Cyclonis, who had gone to kneel beside the Dark Ace. The crystal staff was discarded at her side. Was it too close for Adara to sprint in and grab it? She bit her lip. It could mean a crystal blast through the chest if she failed.

But the Storm Hawks and Atmosia and in fact the whole world needed her to succeed. She had to try.

Adara took a deep, steadying breath, wincing at the pain it caused her ribs. Then she started forward.

She tried to make her running footsteps light and noiseless against the deck. She was somewhat successful, but the sound of her ragged breathing would have given her away regardless. Her ribs were giving her hell. If there was a question before as to whether they were broken, there was none now. She was forced to slow to alleviate the pain.

Oddly enough, Master Cyclonis seemed not to care either way. She must have heard Adara approach, but her attention remained focused on the Dark Ace. Her shoulders were hunched and her head was bowed over him where he lay.

As Adara drew near, she moved carefully forward on quiet feet, peering over the witch's shoulder to glimpse what had absorbed her so completely. Her eyes fell on the Dark Ace's stomach. _Oh._

When Dark Ace had stood to run from the dragon, he'd still had Aerrow's dagger in his hand. And Hunter had crushed him down from above, right on top of it. The handle was the only thing visible protruding from his abdomen. His face was colorless. His eyes were dim.

Master Cyclonis was clutching his hand to her chest. She was speaking, but at this distance Adara could not make out the words.

It seemed so wrong to see the dark young ruler like this. She was vulnerable, shaken, sad. Adara had come to doubt whether she could even feel at all. After all, she had enslaved many of Adara's kinsmen and neighbors with her cursed Crystal Tablet, forcing them to fight a war that wasn't theirs. She had devastated the Storm Hawks time and time again with the help of her loyal Dark Ace. And now here she was, her shoulders shaking with grief over the rapidly fading body of that very man.

Adara looked down into her crystal pouch, sorting through the stones with her eyes. She could see a healing crystal tucked to one side, but its glow was gone, absorbed by the wicked leech crystal. She couldn't say whether she would have offered it to Cyclonis had it been usable. Would that single act of personable kindness have turned the ruler's black heart tender? Would she have given up this blasted war after realizing the lives it was wasting?

Somehow, Adara doubted it.

Regardless she bowed her head in respect as the Dark Ace's rattling breaths grew shallow and trailed off. She gave this strange, feeling Master Cyclonis time to mourn alone.

She wondered if Cyclonis cried for the loss of a friend or a slave.

When finally the young woman lifted her head and turned to face Adara, she was barely recognizable. Her makeup had run from her eyes down her cheeks, leaving her violet orbs oddly exposed and raw. For the first time Adara had witnessed, there was something besides malice in her expression. It was sorrow, desolation. She looked young. She looked alone. She looked human.

Adara watched silently as Cyclonis reached to retrieve the crystal staff from beside her. She rose to her feet, dragging the tip of the staff limply along the ground as she moved. It took her a while to lift her empty eyes to Adara's. When finally the violet irises locked with pale green, Cyclonis spoke. "I have nothing left," she said hollowly. She took the staff in both hands and gripped it until her knuckles turned white and her face twisted in pain. "I might as well take the world with me."

Then she lunged.

Adara barely had time to raise her arms to ward off the vicious blow. The staff skated off her gauntlet plates, but the impact jarred her arms and made her ribs scream. She reached for her crystal pouch, but another swing from Cyclonis interrupted her. This one was aimed near her hips. Adara launched into an aerial and flipped over it, feeling the wind of it ruffle her hair as she passed.

As she landed she went immediately into a forward roll to avoid a third attack. The tip of the staff clattered against the deck, throwing up sparks with its force. Adara twisted as she rolled and sent a swift kick up at Cyclonis as her momentum carried her near. The kick landed in her gut and sent the princess staggering back with an "Oof!" Adara had time to spring to her feet in the interim.

"You can still end this," she told Cyclonis breathlessly. "There's nothing making you wage this war on Atmosia."

The grief-stricken young woman bared her teeth defiantly as she regained her balance. "I was born to do this. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand."

Chance for further conversation was cut off as Cyclonis charged again, spinning her staff before her. A violet trail followed the path of its power crystal around and around as the gem built a charge.

Her next series of attacks came as quick, blinding strikes from every which way. Adara did her best to dodge and weave, but the staff was spinning too fast for her to escape several painful knocks on the arms and legs and head. She found herself backpedaling to avoid the onslaught. Cyclonis followed.

After one particularly powerful strike caught Adara in the temple she was sent reeling, her defenses down. She didn't even see the staff coming at her ribs.

She was suddenly breathless as agony burst like a thousand spikes through her chest cavity. She was only dimly aware of hitting the ground and curling into a ball to protect herself from more abuse. Through slitted eyes she saw the form of Master Cyclonis standing over her, aiming the now-brightly glowing power crystal into her face.

"It's a shame," the dark ruler said emotionlessly, tapping her nails along the crystal staff. "I might have let you watch from my side while the world burned." Then the crystal flared and discharged a blazing violet bolt.

It scored the deck just beside Adara's head as the whole ship suddenly rocked.

"What was that?" Cyclonis shrieked, widening her stance to keep her feet as she shuddering continued. She whirled aft and her expression distorted in fury as she laid eyes on the pillar of smoke beginning to rise from somewhere below. "Someone has sabotaged my ship!" She whipped around to fix a murderous glare on Adara, who was beginning to grin.

"It wasn't me," the mapsmith gasped through her pain, laughing all the while, "but I fear I have a copycat."

Adara felt so much lighter knowing that her betrayal had not been completely successful. Though she had still crashed the Storm Hawks' ship, turned them over into Cyclonis's claws and possibly stranded them here forever, at least Stork was smart enough to use her own tactic against the enemy. Now, perhaps Cyclonis would be stranded here too.

Unfortunately, she was too late to stop a horde of dragons and Cyclonians from crossing over into Atmosia. They would still be able to do plenty of damage. Adara turned her gaze skyward and watched the slowly revolving path of the Elder Crystals around the portal to Atmosia. It was odd seeing the glimpse of blue sky through the opening, yet knowing nothing about the world beyond. All she had ever known was the cloudy, warped, multihued skies of the Far Side terras. She wondered if she would like Atmosia as much as she'd always dreamed.

Too bad she would never see it. The warship was groaning beneath her, the deck beginning to tilt at an unnatural angle. When she glanced toward the bow, she could see the horizon rising as the ship dipped lower and lower. They were going down.

Cyclonis knew it too. She was screaming unintelligibly, tearing at her hair and brandishing her crystal staff at the sky as if ordering it to submit to her. Her violet eyes were locked on the portal, and behind the madness in those orbs Adara could see a trace of bitter regret. She would never see her home again either.

A thorn of pity twisted into Adara's gut. What had been done to Master Cyclonis to make her this way? Where had she gone wrong? It was clear that beneath the façade of pure evil, a teenaged girl still dwelt in Cyclonis's body. A young girl with no one to love her and no one to guide her toward the light. Destruction was all she had. But why? Whose fault was this wretched attempt at a person?

Cyclonis suddenly dropped her gaze to find Adara staring at her, and the madness came back in full force. An enraged scream tore from her throat and she lunged for Adara, bringing her staff down in a crushing overhead swing.

Adara rolled to the side and the staff dented the deck beside her. She saw an opening and shot out both hands to grasp the shaft of the weapon. As Cyclonis struggled to draw it back, Adara gathered her legs beneath her and sprang up, bowling the girl over with her weight. They rolled head over heels, fighting over the staff, shooting off crazed bolts of crystal energy into the sky and the deck and everything unfortunate enough to be nearby. Adara prayed that Hunter had dragged Piper someplace safe.

Then her back hit the ground and the air whooshed out of her. Master Cyclonis was straddling her waist, grimacing in tainted triumph. The staff was still between them, but Adara's grip was failing. She bared her own teeth in effort, straining to keep the staff out of Cyclonis's possession, all the while her mind racing for a backup plan.

Cyclonis released one of her hands from the shaft and curled it around Adara's wrist instead. Her black-painted nails bit into Adara's tender flesh, squeezing harder and harder until the mapsmith felt a cry of pain rise from her throat. A bead of blood trailed up her arm. She had to let go.

As the staff jerked with the sudden shift in force, the power crystal at its tip turned to aim briefly over Cyclonis's shoulder. A pain-stricken Adara found herself staring down the shaft into the sky. Right at—

Suddenly she knew what to do.

Her gaze flicked back to Master Cyclonis and her eyes were determined and hard. The ruler noticed the sudden change and faltered. "What's so—?"

Her words were cut off as Adara abruptly returned both hands to the crystal staff, wrenching it around so that it pointed over Cyclonis's shoulder, willing a charge to the power crystal with every ounce of strength that she had. Before Cyclonis could even shout, a massive blast discharged from the crest of the staff.

Both women were sent tumbling from the force of the recoil. As Cyclonis disentangled herself from the mapsmith, turning desperately to face the retreating blast, her eyes landed on its target and she screamed.

She was still screaming when the energy bolt struck one of the Elder Crystals and the ancient gem exploded in a radiant ring of rainbow light.

Still screaming when the explosion began a chain reaction and its fellow crystals began to burst, one by one.

Still screaming when the portal began to close.

...


	27. What You Deserve

She was still screaming when the dragons stopped their charge.

Adara watched with her mouth agape as the chaos in the sky took a sudden and unexpected turn. One by one, an army of the dark, winged beasts began to return through the portal from Atmosia. They formed a cloud of serpentine bodies while those still left on the Far Side flapped haphazardly to join them, heads winding to and fro as if confused. The sky filled with the sound of their shrieks as they seemed to communicate with one another. Questioning each other.

All the while the portal was fizzling and crackling, slowly dying as its borders crunched in on themselves like a drawstring pouch.

Adara switched her focus from the writhing crowd of dragons to Master Cyclonis. The girl stood with the crystal staff forgotten in her hand, staring up into the sky with her eyes round as saucers. Adara saw yet another new emotion reflected in them now—fear.

Glittering fragments of the destroyed Elder Crystals began to rain down around them like frozen chips of snow. They left tiny slices in Adara's skin wherever they passed, as if taking revenge on her for their demise. She winced and raised her arms to protect her face.

Cyclonis, however, kept her face tipped to the sky, unaware of the pain. Adara saw her visage slowly drain of color and her mouth drop open in horror, and she raised her own eyes to follow the young woman's gaze. A single word dropped from Cyclonis's lips.

"No."

The dragons were diving.

The entire cloud of them were twisting to face the warship, one at a time in a massive wave, before dropping off to swoop down toward it. Their eyes, yellow and orange and red, burned in something like bestial hatred. They were fixed on Master Cyclonis. All of them.

" _No!_ " Cyclonis repeated, howling in terror this time. She raised her arms and the crystal staff along with them, palms facing the dragons as if she could physically hold them off. "I command you!" she cried. "I rule over you!" Her voice was going ragged with hysteria. Tears were streaking down her cheeks. The dragons kept coming. "Stop! _Stop!_ Destroy Atmosia! Not me! No! _No!_ "

Adara was already running by the time the first dragon crashed into the deck, bellowing in fury. She did not watch as it coiled its head back and snapped it forward at the Master of Cyclonia, sinking its teeth into her body. She pressed her hands over her ears to block out the horrible screams that tore from the young woman's throat and seemed to rise exponentially louder as another dragon joined the fray, and another, and another. She felt her hands trembling against her head as gruesome noises pierced her defenses and called to mind bloody, horrifying images that she could not erase.

She had to pause as a wave of nausea overcame her. She bent double, gripping her skull desperately, fighting to take deep breaths to quell the feeling. That's when something caught her eye.

A crystal shard, skittering across the deck from behind her as if thrown from the site of Cyclonis's fall. It was larger than the rest that had rained down upon her moments ago, and something flickered at its center. A light. A pinpoint of violet light. Morbid curiosity made Adara reach out and pick up the sliver, slipping it into her hip pocket.

Then a final, bloodcurdling scream shattered her brief moment of distraction and she broke into a panicked run again.

By the time she reached the place Hunter crouched, lifting a groggy but breathing Piper into his arms, Adara was hyperventilating. She could feel wetness on her own cheeks but she was too busy clutching her protesting ribs to swipe it away. "We have to go," she gasped. "We have to get out of here."

Hunter met her eyes and his jaw was clenching and unclenching painfully as he too heard the noises from across the deck. "I know. But how?" he demanded through gritted teeth. She knew that his consternation was not in anger at her. His eyes kept flicking to the scene behind her, and they were growing more shadowed with every passing second.

She shifted in front of him to block his view of the massacre. When his eyes focused on her, his expression relaxed slightly to one of gratitude. "I don't know," Adara began. She looked down at Piper, who was fading in and out of consciousness. "I—"

A new sound cut through the horror filling the air. A roar, as of a small engine. It sounded to Adara to be sputtering alarmingly. She cast around for the source, preparing for another fight.

Hunter backed up to the edge of the descending deck and craned his neck to look down over it. Adara went weak with relief when his face cracked into a rare smile. "Who is it?" she questioned.

He didn't have to answer. The puttering engine noise grew in volume until its source shot into view from below and leveled out precariously in the air. Adara's jaw dropped, her panic all but forgotten as shock struck her.

"A flying wheelchair?"

It took her a moment to realize that the question had come from her. She stepped forward, blinking in disbelief as the rocket chair in question hovered alongside the warship, its three passengers and their pet shouting and waving their arms.

"Need a lift?" Stork, the pilot, asked smugly. Then he noticed Adara and his eyes went round. "You!" he yelped in outrage, and took one hand off the controls to shake his fist at her. "Traitor!" he wailed. "Seize her! Attack her! Behead her!" He gunned the wheelchair toward the side of the ship as if intending to ram her. "She killed my ship!"

Hunter lunged between the unlikely craft and Adara, balancing Piper in his arms. The groggy Storm Hawk groaned as Hunter shouted at Stork, "Stop! She's with us."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, until she screwed us over!" Finn chimed in, crouching over the back of the wheelchair in order to glare at Adara. He raised his own fists. "Let me at her!"

Adara didn't have the heart to defend herself. She had betrayed them, after all. And they all looked worse for wear because of it. She was thankful when Hunter stepped in. "We don't have time for this," he grated. Indeed, looking up at the portal, they could all see if growing smaller by the second. "Can you get us out of here or not?"

"There's no way all of us are going to fit on that thing," Adara warned.

Stork looked grim. "She's right," he admitted grudgingly. "Three is a crowd. Four is pushing it. Five is insanity, but it just might work."

"There are six of us," Junko spoke up solemnly. When Radarr chirruped offendedly from his shoulder, he turned his head and explained, "Sorry. You don't count."

Silence fell between them.

Hunter and Adara exchanged a glance. She knew exactly what he was thinking, so she cut in first. "Go," she said firmly. "Piper needs you to watch over her. I'm the logical choice to leave behind."

"No," Hunter growled, "You risked your life for us."

"I betrayed you!" Adara was painfully conscious of the portal above growing smaller and smaller. She gripped Hunter's shoulder and shoved him toward the chair desperately. She could feel herself losing control again, her hands shaking, her breathing growing shallow. He had to listen to her. "Leave me! Get out of here!"

Hunter turned to face her, his face stone-hard but his eyes gentle and resigned. "You were willing to gamble everything for a chance to leave this place" he said. "Whatever damage you've done, you've more than redeemed yourself. You still have a chance. You deserve to take it." Without waiting for her to answer, he passed Piper into her arms and stepped away.

"Hunter, you deserve to come home, too!" Junko cried in distress.

"Yeah, man, you're one of us," Finn declared. "We can't leave you!"

Hunter turned to look at Stork, who had been knowingly silent the whole time. The Merb set his jaw as understanding passed between them. "Take her," Hunter said. "She's more than earned a second chance in Atmosia."

The pilot leaned over his handlebars and nodded wordlessly. He reached out one arm to Adara and Piper as the others lifted their voices in protest.

Adara's rose above the others. "Hunter, you can't do this. What about—what about Starling?" She remembered their conversation from so long ago; Hunter's inadvertent admittal of his feelings. He had more to lose than anyone. She could not be the one to take that from him.

Hunter's eyes filled with sudden tears and he turned away to hide them. He had to clear his throat before he could speak. "She'll understand," he rasped.

Adara's heart was tearing in half. She wanted to go—this was the chance she'd always dreamed of, the day she'd always imagined. But not at the cost of Hunter's life. At the same time, she knew that the lonely Interceptor would not change his mind. There was not enough time.

And so she bowed her head in defeat. When she raised it again, her eyes had spilled over with tears. "I'm sorry for everything," she blurted. It could not be enough, but it was all she had to give. There was just not enough time.

Hunter looked at her without a trace of resentment. "You don't need to be. You are forgiven." Then he stepped in close and lifted her chin with his fingers. She was too surprised to resist as he placed a small, chaste kiss on her cheek. As he pulled back, he gave the barest of smiles and explained, "I never did pay you for that map."

It was all Adara could do not to break down right there. Instead she sniffed back her tears and forced herself to turn away, hefting Piper's limp form up to allow the boys on the wheelchair to take hold of her. The chair dipped under the new weight, but Stork flipped two switches and adjusted the clutch and the engine roared harder, bringing the chair back up to its previous altitude.

Adara stepped up onto the railing and reached out to take Junko's outstretched hand. She had to look back over her shoulder at Hunter once more. "We'll come back for you," she promised.

Hunter smiled in a way that did not reach his eyes. "Go," he said softly.

Adara choked back tears. She jumped, and the boys helped her find purchase alongside them on the back of the wheelchair. The craft dropped again, and Stork did his best to compensate, but it was clear that the chair could take on no greater burden. As it rose up beside the sinking warship and beyond, all of its occupants turned to look back.

There Hunter stood beside the railing. Further on, a cluster of dragons was slowly dispersing, licking their fanged chops, their job done. The deck was scored with energy burns, littered with shattered crystals, and smeared with the blood of both Cyclonian and Atmosian. All of it was descending slowly toward the earth, on a collision course with the Wastelands beyond the edge of the terra. There, lava and brimstone would consume its wreckage and erase all memory of the battle waged on it today.

Adara and the last of the Storm Hawks raised their arms in farewell. Hunter's quickly receding form did the same. Then they turned their backs on the Far Side and lifted their eyes to the portal to Atmosia.

…


	28. With You

The portal was nearly closed by the time the Storm Hawks and their struggling rocket wheelchair puttered through to the other side. While Adara found her gaze riveted on the clear blue sky, enraptured, Stork brought the craft in for a rough landing. The wheels chewed up the grass of Terra Atmosia's central quad as it rattled to a halt.

Finn hopped off and immediately launched into a tangle of Cyclonian Talons, swinging his undamaged fist willy-nilly and catching several of them in the nose by pure luck.

Junko was carefully unloading Piper, who stirred and frowned as Radarr's furry tail tickled beneath her nose.

Stork limped off his craft and bent down to inspect its inner workings with a wrench, apparently planning to salvage it despite its obvious damage.

All of it seemed so idle and domestic and uncaring that it sparked an angry flame in Adara's chest. What about Hunter? she screamed inwardly. What about the war? But she knew that yelling at them for it would do little good.

No, she knew what she had to do. She just had to find the right person to do it.

Her eyes raised to the sky again. It was remarkably empty without the dragons weaving in and out of the aerial dogfights, and Adara supposed much of the fighting had cleared up by now anyway. Most of the craft arcing across the sky bore Atmosian colors, not the red of Cyclonia. Lines of Cyclonian troops had witnessed the explosion of the portal crystals and apparently realized that their leader was not coming through, for they now knelt at the mercy of a crowd of Sky Knight squadrons. That was where Adara had to go.

She raced toward the crowd and shouldered her way in, to the great resentment of her ribs. She hadn't the time to pay them any attention. Her eyes were sweeping the gathering of Sky Knights and their teams, searching for something frustratingly difficult to spot. Then—

There!

A Sky Knight with purple hair stood at the head of the pack, threatening one of the surrendered Talons with her crystal-powered nunchucks. Adara did not stop to wonder why her victim was wearing a fedora. She was focused on the Sky Knight's lapel, where she wore the same crest that Hunter had borne.

Adara quickened her pace, finally pushing through the last of the press and stumbling to a stop next to the stern woman, who was apparently in charge of the Atmosian force.

As Adara caught her breath, the woman turned to face her. "Who are you?" she demanded, emerald eyes scanning Adara up and down and narrowing as they came to rest on her Cyclonian badge. Her nunchucks were instantly aimed at Adara.

Adara growled in frustration, reaching up to tear the crest straight from her suit. She was tired of its weight on her character. As she let it drift to the grass, a stream of words tumbled from her lips. "I'm Adara. I'm with the Storm Hawks. We just made it back. You're Starling, aren't you?"

The woman's eyes widened. "Yes, I am. Where are they?" She cast around as if to spot them in the crowd. Adara pointed, and as Starling followed her finger her expression grew anxious. "Where's Aerrow?" she asked tightly. Then she went pale. "Where's Hunter?"

"He's still on the other side. If you hurry you can save him. The portal is still open!" Adara said in a rush. As Starling spun instantly and ran for the nearest Skyride, Adara followed her, her voice rising as she tried to finish, "Master Cyclonis is dead! Atmosia is safe. Your work is done."

Starling found a seat on an abandoned Cyclonian Skimmer. As she revved the engine, she looked back at Adara gratefully. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "Storm Hawk." Then she gunned the ride forward, kicking up a spray of dirt and lifting the front tire off the ground. In a flash she was in the air and streaking toward the last shrinking pinprick of the portal.

Adara held her breath as she watched Starling arc through the sky toward the opening. Her reaction had been just as Adara had expected. That's why she had wasted no time in tracking the Interceptor down. She could not leave Hunter to die. She may not have been able to save him herself, but she could do the next best thing.

The portal was almost closed. Just before it would have burned the wings off Starling's hijacked Skyride, she snapped them closed and plunged through, bent tight over the seat of the motorcycle.

Then there was nothing but blue sky left hovering over the quiet battlefield.

…

Starling reactivated the Skimmer's wings and dropped into a smooth glide on the other side of the portal. She could not say that she was glad to be back under the Far Side's murky, smoke-filled sky, but if Hunter was here, here she would go.

She twisted in her seat to watch the last fringes of the portal sizzle out of existence, and her heart sank. Of course she was saddened by the notion of leaving Atmosia behind. But, she told herself, there was more for her here than there.

Here, she could reunite with the last of her squadron. She could leave the haunting presence of Terra Mesa behind and finally start fresh. She would miss the Storm Hawks, naturally, and some of her friends among the other squadrons, but that was the way of life. Friends were made and friends were lost.

And, sometimes, friends were found again. She was not convinced that the Storm Hawks would not find a way back to her.

Anyway, Starling would cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, her mission was Hunter.

As the sulfry wind buffeted her face and dragons flapped in the distance all around her, Starling scanned the landscape below for signs of her teammate. Her eyes landed immediately on the long, ugly red form of the lead Cyclonian warship sinking steadily toward the Wastelands beneath her. That was where she'd dropped him off before. That was her best bet.

She angled her ride down toward the ship and tried to calm her racing heart as the thought of seeing Hunter again bubbled to the forefront of her mind. Ever since they'd crash-landed on that rock together, her emotions had been reeling in a storm she'd never expected. Was the joy of seeing him again simply appropriate of finding a lost teammate, or was it something more? They had always been close while part of the Interceptors, but never more than Sky Knight and squad. Right? Once he had been lost, Starling had banished all fantasy otherwise. But now…

The way her pulse was pounding, it certainly felt like something more.

As Starling brought her Skimmer down above the warship, she scanned the deck from bow to stern. There. She finally laid eyes on him. Starling felt a grin pull at her lips as she saw the way Hunter stood at the bow, staring straight ahead like a captain cursed to go down with his ship.

Bloody lunatic.

The noise of the approaching Skyride must have reached Hunter's ears, for he turned, dropping into a defensive stance as if he were expecting a fight. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the red chassis of a Cyclonian craft.

Then he saw Starling. His arms dropped limply to his sides and he could do nothing but stare as she brought her ride down and skidded to a circuitous halt around him. Propping the motorcycle upright with her foot, Starling faced him, no longer trying to suppress her grin.

Hunter spread his hands. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he cried, voice too weak with disbelief to sound angry.

"I told you I wasn't going to lose you again, didn't I?" Starling provided, her emerald eyes glittering. "Now get on. If you haven't noticed, you're in a bit of a predicament."

Her teammate stayed rooted to the spot, still in shock. "I know that. I chose to stay here. Stork's craft couldn't carry all of us out."

"Well, good thing mine's got plenty of space," Starling replied. She almost wanted to laugh at the look on Hunter's face. He was gawking at her as if expecting her to face like a dream at any moment.

"Starling, the portal's closed!" he managed after a moment. "You're trapped here." He was speaking as if perhaps she didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

"All right, now you haven't got to treat me like a child. I'm fully aware of what I'm doing," the Sky Knight responded in exasperation. "Now, are you going to get on or not?" She waved a hand at the seat behind her.

Hunter finally moved to mount the vehicle. He lifted a leg over the seat and settled in behind her, his arms sliding about her waist as she revved the engine. "Wait," he said before she could take off.

Starling turned in the seat to face him indirectly, wearing an impatient expression. "If you're not glad to see me you'd better out and say it now," she quipped, "since it looks like we're stuck together until further notice."

"That's not it. I—" Abruptly Hunter broke off. The poor man looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. The shellshocked look in his eyes was beginning to subside in favor of a flicker of tentative joy, but his bumbling was making Starling impatient.

"I didn't come all this way just for you to stare at me like a buffoon," she jabbed.

Hunter stammered for a second, but quickly snapped his mouth shut. "All right, then," he conceded. He reached past Starling to the Skimmer's ignition and switched it off. When she turned to question him, the look on his face stilled her. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and pulled her close, making heat flare to her cheeks. His lips were close. "Is this better?" he murmured.

Starling found herself breathless. Right then, she thought. Definitely something more. "Much better." She smiled. There was a hanging, nervous pause between them, but Starling was not about to let this chance slip away. Not this time. She'd lost enough time with Hunter already. So, she leaned up and kissed him.

Oh.

She hadn't fully realized how much she'd wanted to feel those firm, wind-roughened lips on hers. After years alone, who could blame her? Hunter was literally a dream come true, and now… Her thoughts trailed off as her arms went up to wrap around his neck and her hand tangled in his too-long hair. Finally, was all she could think. Hunter was pressing her back against the handlebars, tilting his head to move in closer, and Starling's lips parted and—

Bloody hell, she loved him.

But abruptly she dragged herself away. She couldn't afford to get carried away now. She met Hunter's gray eyes with a sparkle in hers, and whispered. "We're still on a ship sinking straight towards the Wastelands, you know."

Hunter groaned in displeasure. "Is it really that pressing?" he asked good-naturedly.

Starling grinned and slid her hands down to his face, where she ran her thumbs along his cheekbones affectionately. "I suppose so," she said with mock resignation. She pressed another, quick kiss to his lips and then turned away, restarting the engine. "Let's get out of here."

"Aye-aye, Sky Knight." Hunter replied, a smile in his voice. His arms came back around her, and Starling leaned into them. They stayed that way as Starling fired her borrowed ride and they took off, curving up from the sinking deck into the sky of the Far Side. Into the unknown, together.

"I must say," Starling called to him as they cut through the clouds, "this is much less exciting than riding a dragon."

Hunter chuckled behind her. "Not if it's with you."

…


	29. The Storm Hawks

_Piper:_

_I_ _t's been two weeks since the fall of Cyclonia. Two weeks since Master Cyclonis and the Dark Ace were defeated on the Far Side of Atmos. Two weeks since their followers were disbanded of imprisoned, their warships broken down to build new homes for those left without in the wake of the war, and the people of Atmosia freed from their reign of terror._

_Two weeks since the Storm Hawks arrived home._

_It's been pretty quiet around here since then. Quiet, but never boring._

_The Elder Council of Atmosia was reinstated last week, and their first action as representatives of the people was to hold a celebration for all the Sky Knights and their squadrons who fought in the war against Cyclonia. After that came the ceremony in honor of Harrier, Aerrow, and all the other noble souls who lost their lives in that same struggle._

_We have plenty of rebuilding to do, but with Atmosia free of Cyclonia's iron fist, more people than ever are willing to lend a hand to the Sky Knights._

_And the Storm Hawks - well, we've had some rebuilding of our own to do._

_Mara, the Rex Guardian who saved me from my fall back on Terra Majorus, nursed me back to health after I returned to Atmosia on the edge of death. During my recovery, the Elder Council paid a visit to my hospital quarters with some news. First of all they announced that they'd taken up a collection from the people in order to fund the building of a new Condor. And secondly, they offered me the honor of being the Storm Hawk's new Sky Knight._

_I accepted, of course. I haven't told Aerrow yet._

_As for Aerrow himself, I have high hopes for my experiments on the specter crystal. Aerrow's body may be gone, but I know he's still alive as ever in there. I've been trying to unlock some way to communicate with him face-to-face. After all, somehow Master Cyclonis was able to resurrect the Dark Ace with the same crystal. Why shouldn't I be able to achieve something similar? I think I'm close to a breakthrough, and believe it or not, it has to do with Stork's anti-mind-reading helmet. Who would have thought?_

_Speaking of Stork, that surly Merb is doing as well as ever. He's thrilled with the news of a new Condor on the way. He also didn't waste any time in building himself a new leg after his accident, and according to him, "it's even better than the old one!" I'm afraid to ask him what that means. Hopefully nothing flammable._

_The others have gotten their hands on a few upgrades as well. Dove and Wren were able to piece together a brand-new crossbow for Finn, who is currently devoting all his time to learning to "shoot lefty" while his other wrist heals. He says it will come in handy later. Pun intended._

_Junko was gifted a new, tailor-made pair of knuckle busters by the Wallop Resistance, who also awarded him their highest medal of honor for his part in winning the war. The medal was literally a rock, but he seemed more than pleased to receive it. In other news, the big guy has been spending a lot of time with Radarr. They seem to be taking Aerrow's loss harder than the others (myself not included), even after I told them that I was working on a way for them to see him again. Radarr has taken to carrying Aerrow's remaining dagger around with him in the meantime. He seems to think it was the one that took down Dark Ace, and I haven't had the heart to tell him otherwise. It's all he has that's left of Aerrow._

_I almost forgot to include our newest Storm Hawk in my report! I'm still getting used to the change, I suppose._

_After Adara turned on Master Cyclonis and destroyed the Elder Crystals, possibly saving us all, we figured it was high time to forgive her for betraying us. So we signed her on as our very own official mapmaker, as well as technician and junior crystal expert. Stork won't be happy about letting her near the new Condor's engine room anytime soon, but he'll get over it eventually._

_What bothers me about Adara is that she still hasn't revealed to us her reasons for coming to Atmosia. I want to trust her, but it's hard when we know so little about her. Especially when her secrets were cause enough for her to side with Cyclonia to see them realized. I hope we've made the right choice in making her one of the Storm Hawks._

_That's not the only thing weighing on my mind, either. All of us are really worried about Hunter and Starling. With the portal to the Far Side closed, we have no way of keeping tabs on their location or even knowing if they are safe. All we can do is trust that Starling will take care of them until we see them again. And I do trust her. After all, she did hold Atmosia against the forces of Cyclonia while we were gone. She's as much a hero in this war as anyone._

_In the meantime, our best option is to keep searching for a way to reopen a portal to the Far Side and bring them home. I've spoken with Stork and Adara, and we're working on a plan that just might work. I won't go into detail here, but I'll outline the basics for records' sake: since the Elder Crystals, which housed ancient dragon souls, were able to open a massive portal between the two sides of the planet, it reasons that a human soul would be able to do the same on a smaller scale. A soul like Aerrow's. Adara mentioned that she picked up a shard of an Elder Crystal before escaping the Far Side, but it has given no sign of any usefulness to our experiment. She's continuing to work on it alone, but our best bet seems to be Aerrow's specter crystal._

_I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but the logic seems sound. We'll be trying it soon. I only wish that it weren't necessary in the first place; that we had been able to bring everyone home two weeks ago. Some part of me still blames myself for not doing more that day._

_But oddly enough, my biggest regret is over Master Cyclonis._

_Adara tells me that in her final moments, Cyclonis appeared as nothing more than a scared, lonely young girl. Poisoned by darkness and madness though she was, no one deserves to die a terrible death in a strange world, surrounded by enemies. My heart aches when I think of Lark, the girl she could have been. What part did the Storm Hawks play in pushing her further to the side of evil? If we had done things just a little bit differently, maybe we would have been able to save her. Maybe some part of her was still redeemable. We can't ever know._

_I guess it's no use dwelling on it. We made the choices we made, and Cyclonis did the same. We can't blame ourselves for the outcome. And, I think, we can't blame her either. She was only doing the one thing she knew how to do._

_Whatever the cost, the Storm Hawks have done their part to bring peace to Atmosia. We've been to the Far Side and back, something no one has ever done before. Granted, we didn't make it through unscathed, but we're all the stronger because of it._

_We return to our duty now as protectors of Atmosia, alongside the other brave Sky Knights and their squadrons who are sworn to the same task. Cyclonia may be defeated, but our work is not done._

_We will continue to wage war against the forces of darkness as long as Atmosia will have us, and when the time comes, we'll extend that promise to the Far Side as well. Wherever there are people in need; wherever there is justice to be served; wherever there is darkness to be banished by light, there we will be._

_And that's not just our job. That's who we are._

_We are the Storm Hawks._

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that it took me 5 years to write this?


End file.
